Her only escape
by Cuteblndegoddess
Summary: Draco runs into Hermione five years after Hogwarts, he realizes she is keeping a huge secret and tries to help her. Rated M for sexual content, rape and violence but not from any main characters. HBP spoilers
1. The outdoor Market

The Outdoor Market

It was storming that night as Draco lie in his luxurious bed daydreaming. He was staring at the black canopy-lost in his own world when an owl began rapping on his window pane.

'Bloody hell' he thought 'What now?'

He got up to retrieve the message, the owl pecked at him as he took the envelope off of his leg. He opened it and read;

_Hey love,_

_Hope you see you soon,_

_Miss you._

_Love, Pansy_

He dropped the note into the fire. They had been dating off and on since his third year at Hogwarts; they had graduated 5 years ago and still saw each other when they could. She was good for shag, but not much else. She had the intelligence of a rug. He laughed in his head about this. He took a seat in front of the fireplace and stared into the flames. His silver blue eyes danced as he was deep in thought. He had postponed his arranged marriage three times already, making petty excuses. His father had died in Azkaban, and it was just him and his mum in the large mansion now. And that was how he liked it. If he had Pansy living here, well he might as well jump off the roof. He sighed heavily, looking at the clock. It was near 4 am. He had to go into London the next day to run some errands. He hated going into muggle London. It was a right pain in the neck. But he needed things, things like expensive Italian leather shoes, and Armani suits. He loved the finer things in life, that was for sure, but ever since they were down to one house-elf, mother insisted that she only do things around the house and that he was well old enough to shop for himself. Eventually he drifted off into sleep, still sitting in the chair.

The next morning he dressed hastily and ran down the large staircase.

"Morning mother" he said stiffly as he took a sip of coffee in front of him.

"Morning hon, did you sleep well?" she asked, not looking up from The Daily Prophet.

"Yes, thank you." he lied. He was plagued with nightmares and usually only got 3 hours of sleep at best. Even though his father was dead, nightmares of his abuse attacked his mind when it was at rest.

"Good" she said, still reading. She was not exactly the warm type. He rolled his eyes and walked out the large wooden doors to the driveway. He had talked him mum into getting him a car, and letting him take driving lessons. He still used magic if he wanted to get somewhere quickly, but since he was going to muggle London, he wanted to arrive in a normal fashion, and in style. He got behind the wheel of the black BMW and started the engine. It purred under his control, and before he knew it he was shifting it and speeding off down the deserted road. Not many people lived around him, and certainly most did not drive. It felt good to be in the country, after a rainstorm, driving with the top down. His short blonde hair blew in the summer wind, as the thick air entered his lungs. He was feeling good, as he hit 90mph down the sleepy country lane. He slowed down when he got to more populated areas, as to not draw too much attention from the muggles. When he got into London, it was bumper to bumper with muggles. He decided to park and walk around the shops on this fine summer morning. He took off down one of the side streets, going from shop to shop. He bought an azure blue suit in the first store; the girl behind the counter had said it made his eyes really stand out. He had flashed his charming Malfoy smile back at her, and promptly paid for it, flirting with her as she fumbled to ring him up. He had always been good looking in his opinion, but since he graduated his features became more refined. His white blonde hair was casually styled so the strands fell around his pale face. He was about 6'2", slim build, about 160lbs. He had full pink lips that the girls loved, and his pale silver eyes changed colors with the mood he was in, or what he was wearing. He was always dressed to kill, even when shopping. He left the store with the girl's phone number, promptly tossing it in the can. Getting numbers or dates just came too easy anymore; he was humming to himself when he entered the next store. Shoes. He loved shoes. Leather and shiny. He had over a hundred pair. And when he saw the brown alligator shoes in the window, he just had to have them. 20 minutes and 1000 Euros later, he emerged, carrying his treasures. He took them to his car and locked them in the trunk. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted an outdoor market, his stomach was rumbling as he had not eaten a proper breakfast. Maybe he would pick up a cup of coffee and some fruit, and sit on that park bench by the fountain and eat quietly. Yes, that sounded good. He strolled over to the various vendors and purchased an orange, a banana, and some strawberries. He was about to go to the coffee shop on the corner when he heard something familiar. It was faint, but he knew it well.

"Thank you, have a nice day. I will be back next week." he heard the female voice behind him say. He turned around and saw the back of a woman, with long chestnut hair pulled into a ponytail.

'I thought I heard…never mind' he thought. But curiosity got the best of him.

"Hey" he called out "Hey, you …uh," 'Crap what was her name?' "Uh…Granger." he yelled after the woman. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. Her posture sagged as she turned to face him.

"Hey, I thought that was you Granger." he said panting as he caught up with her.

"What do you want Malfoy?" she said with a quiet voice that did not belong to her, or at least the girl he used to know.

He looked her over, she had never been a great beauty, but she looked awful now. She was very thin, almost to the point of skin and bones. Some of her hair that had fallen out of her ponytail fell in long lank strands around her face. She wore no makeup, and big baggy jeans. She was wearing an oversized t-shirt that made her skinniness even more noticeable. Her arms were full of bags. She was now looking at him, tapping her shoe impatiently.

"I just heard your voice and wanted to see if it was you." he said quickly. "I don't see anyone from school much anymore."

"Me either." she said bitterly "So what have you been up to? Ever marry what's her name?" trying to make idle conversation. She looked at her watch. It was getting late, she needed to leave.

"Uh, no thank Merlin." he replied. "How bout you, ever marry the weasel?"

"No, I don't see Harry or Ron much anymore. Or anyone for that matter."

Was it just him, or did something not sit right here?

"But I am married." she said holding up her left hand so that he could see the tiny diamond ring.

"Nice." he said, but as she held up her arm, he noticed something strange about it. It was covered in small finger sized bruises, up where the sleeve was covering it. When she raised her arm, he could see them clearly, he cocked his head to get a better look. Her large brown eyes narrowed as she saw him glance her upper arm. She quickly put it back to her side and pulled at the sleeves of her shirt.

"You into troll wrestling?" he asked her jokingly.

"Excuse me?" she replied.

"Your arm, a little banged up eh? I thought maybe you were into extreme sports or something." he tried to put a light spin on the awkward situation. He smiled widely.

"No, I'm not." she said curtly. "Now if you don't mind, I am running late. Bye." she said before running down the road, looking back at him oddly before disappearing into the crowd.

'That was strange' he thought as he made his way to the coffee shop. He purchased a large coffee to go. His mind was solely on her now, driving other thoughts away. She looked terrible. Like a strong wind could carry her away. Frail. That was the word he was searching for. He sat there eating and drinking his coffee before returning to his car for the long drive home. He knew something was wrong with her, and it stuck in his mind like glue. She was just Granger, a Mudblood, off doing strange muggle things, probably married one. But there was just something about her, it was driving him mad. The bruises. They reminded him of his father. But he was probably just jumping to conclusions. He didn't know her, or anything about her life. So as he drove home, he pushed the thought of her out of his mind, and hummed happily.

Miles away, Hermione rushed to get home as quick as she could. She was 10 minutes behind schedule. Lunch needed to be on the table by noon. It was already 11:30. She hurried to make him some soup and a sandwich for when he apperated home. Her husband worked in Diagon Alley. He owned an apothecary. Every lunch he would apparate home to eat with her. She worked furiously and at 11:59 everything was on the table, hot and waiting. At precisely noon, a loud pop could be heard from the living room of their small home.

"Darling" the tall man said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"Hello love." she said smiling weakly.

"How was the market?" he asked sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Fine dear. Price of potatoes went up." she said, leaving out the talking to Malfoy part.

"Figures." he said taking a bite from his sandwich, and glancing over the paper.

They ate in relative silence as always. And when he was done, the second he was done, she cleared the table and poured him a cup of coffee.

"There you go." she said sweetly.

"Well, I must get back to work." he said looking at the clock. "I will be home at 5." he kissed her cheek again and with a pop, disappeared. She breathed a huge sigh of relief. Lunch with no incidents, no blow ups. She did the dishes in silence before starting on the rest of the cleaning.

Draco reached his large home in a short amount of time. He grabbed all of his purchases, only to notice a pink car in the drive. Oh Merlin, Pansy was here. He tried to quietly sneak off up the stairs, but she must have had radar hearing, because as soon as his foot hit the bottom step, she came bounding out of the sitting room, flinging her arms about him and kissing him deeply. Without thinking he pushed her off and she fell with a flop onto the black marble floor. She shot him a disapproving look before standing up to compose herself.

"Thanks for the warm welcome dear." she said scowling like a school girl.

"Sorry, you just startled me." he lied. "I need to go put these things away, be right back." he raced up the steps to his large room and locked the door behind him. Tossing his things on the bed, he entered his bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. This is just what he did not need today. Pansy. Silly, frilly, slutty Pansy. He looked back up in the mirror at his face it was pale with large bags under his eyes. He really needed to get some sleep, and usually afternoon was the perfect time. He wondered if Pansy would come searching for him if he took a nap. She probably would. She would probably break down the door and try to shag him silly. He flopped onto the bed next to his new purchases. He took several deep breaths. His mind wandered to Granger again. He didn't really know why, but he had felt something, something unexpected. Something like apathy, but nothing he would admit. Those bruises. He had known them well. His father would always discipline with a cane or open fist. Bruises plagued his young life. His mother was usually covered in them too. He heard arguing nightly throughout his childhood. Always ending in screaming and fresh bruises and red marks the next morning. He tried to push those past memories to the far most corners of his mind. A few minutes later he heard some stirring outside his bedroom door. Oh Merlin.

"Draco sweetie, are you all right?" she cooed through the heavy door.

"I think I am sick from some muggle fast food. Why don't you come back tomorrow to visit?" (Or never) he thought to himself.

"Do you want me to nurse you pumpkin?" she asked in a high pitched girly voice.

He felt like he wanted to throw up for real.

"Nope, got everything I need," he faked a weak voice. "See you tomorrow."

He heard her storming down the stairs and he smiled to himself. Another Pansy free day. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. But no sleep came to him. He tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable. He looked out the window to the left of his bed; the sky was a cloudy grey like his eyes. Every time he closed them he saw those bruises, a pang of guilt filled his heart. What were they from? Five years he hadn't given her a second of his time, and now he couldn't sleep from thinking of her. He had been cruel in school, but teenage boys weren't known for their tact. Finally, he drifted off to sleep, thoughts of her stirring in his mind.


	2. Life at the Shanly's

**Disclaimer; I don't own Harry Potter**

**A/N Thank you as always to all of my faithful reviewers and any new ones. This story is quite a bit different from the other two, a little darker and dealing with domestic violence. I didnt forget about the "Enchanted" series, I am still writing and updating. Happy reading and dont forget to review.

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Life at the Shanly's

It was now 4:59pm. Dinner, consisting of meatloaf, mashed potatoes (from scratch), homemade gravy, green beans and bread and butter, was sitting on the table steaming from heaping bowls. The tiny house was immaculate. Not a spot on the counter, or a crumb on the floor. She had opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses. But she did not take a sip until he did. At precisely 5pm, a pop could be heard from the dining room.

'Oh please let him have had a good day.' she thought nervously biting her lip.

The tall man walked into the room and embraced her warmly.

"Hello sweetheart."

"Hello darling, I hope your day was good." she smiled sweetly handing him the wine glass.

"It was perfect. Dinner looks excellent as always." he sat in _his_ chair and motioned for her to fill his plate. She heaped food onto it. He was not a fat man, but strongly built. Tall, about 6'4" and 200lbs easy. He ate furiously and talked with her about his day. She ate meekly, picking at her plate. He always said she ate too much, so now she just picked at her food. Keeping herself thin for him. When he would talk about work, she would smile and listen and agree with everything he said. She never gave her own opinion. When he was finished, she cleaned the table promptly and handed him a glass of brandy. He retreated to the living room, leaving her to finish the clean up. She would not join him until all the dishes were done, and the left-overs promptly thrown away. _HE_ did not eat leftovers.

Twenty minutes later she came and sat by him in the living room, in front of a roaring fire. She sat quietly, when he glanced at her, she would smile. Never letting on that she felt far from smiling. At exactly 9pm, they went upstairs to prepare for bed. He would shower first, and then she would. By 10pm, both ready, he would have sex with her, and she would moan and tell him how much she loved him. By 10:10, he was sleeping, and her mind was free to think. She thought of her day, ordinary except for running into Malfoy. She knew she looked terrible, and he, well he looked like a Greek god. He had looked at her bruises with pity in his eyes. If he only knew, well he would probably help the bastard beat her. But for whatever reason he seemed nicer, more mature. He had even smiled at her. That had made her feel really good. Her husband, Steven never truly smiled at her anymore. She had met him 4 years ago while off studying to be a healer. They got married a year later and shortly after he insisted she give up her dream of being a healer and become a full time housewife. When she refused, he had slapped her until handprint sized bruises plagued her face. She had planned to leave that very night, but he had grabbed her and threw her down the basement stairs, where he locked the door and kept her there, no wand, for 2 long days. When he finally unlocked the door, she had been dirty and hungry. He smirked and let her shower and get dressed. Moments later he gave her the schedule. Breakfast at 8, Lunch at 12, Dinner at 5, sex at 10. Period. No exceptions, no pre made food. All from scratch, and no magic to make it. He took her wand to work with him every day. And that's how life had been for the past 3 years. He had even stopped her from seeing her two best friends, Harry and Ron. It had been 2 ½ years since she had spoken to them. Harry had sent her an owl, while Steven was at work. It had read;

_Hermione,_

_Is something the matter? We haven't heard from you in ages. Please answer or we are coming over to talk to you in person._

_Love,_

_Harry and Ron_

Before she could throw it into the fire to dispose of it, Steven came home. He said he sensed that she was up to no good. He snatched the letter from her hands. His face became red and he was shaking with fury. He threw some parchment into her hands and forced her into a seat.

"Write" he told her. She began to cry. "Write what I say." his eyes were dark with hate and rage.

"Harry and Ron do not come over here. I am a grown woman and it is my business whom I speak to. Please don't contact me again. I am happy here with my husband and don't need you guys anymore. Thank you. Hermione Shanly." his voice was filled with hate as he spoke those words.

"You don't know them…" she started which was answered with a slap across her face. She copied the words onto the parchment and sent it back with Harry's owl. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"You will never speak to them again. Do you understand?" he asked, touching her arm in a menacing way.

"Yes." she replied weakly. That was the last time she ever heard from them. Malfoy was the first and only familiar face she had seen in a while. She wished it had been someone who was her friend, but he had not been that terrible to her, even tried to make a joke out of the ugly bruises on her arm. She was not sure if he had actually known what they were from, well she hoped not anyway. She wondered what he was doing in muggle London. He was carrying a bag from the outdoor market. Did he shop there? She almost hoped to run into him again someday. Just to have someone new to talk to. He sure did look good. Tall and blonde. And his eyes were clear and sparkling. His full pink lips curved beautifully into a smile. She smiled to herself, and vowed to return to that market the next week just to see if he was there again. That happy thought, even though he was Malfoy, let her fall into a deep peaceful sleep.

Draco awoke the next morning. Wow, had he really slept that long? Must be a new record 19 hours in a row. He stretched as he sat up in bed. It was 9am the next morning. No nightmares, he was feeling good. He called the old house elf and asked her to bring up some breakfast. He didn't feel like dealing with mother. He just wanted to relax in his room, with a good book and eat in peace. Ten minutes later, the elf returned carrying a large silver tray. It was full of eggs, toast, fruit and coffee. He ate like a starving man, not having eaten since the previous morning. He thought about her again, briefly. She had told the man behind the fruit stand she would be back next week. For some unexplained reason he wanted to see her. He had never truly hated her, but he never wanted to be friends either. They were just from different groups. They were just kids in school that had different friends and different lives. He thought about those bruises again. Was she being abused by her husband? Or was she just clumsy? He figured that his past abuse just drove his curiosity about her situation. He vowed to go back to that market at the same time next week just to see if he could find out anything more.

The week passed slowly, but soon enough he was back in his car driving towards muggle London again. He just thought he would go and walk around casually, buy some things. If he saw her, he would casually bump into her and try to talk. He didn't know why this seemed so important to him, but it was. He arrived and parked in the same area. He sat on the same bench and people watched for over an hour. No sign of her. 'Oh well' he thought, probably better off that way. He didn't really need all that emotional baggage after all. He stood up to leave when he heard her voice again floating through the air. She was standing meekly over by the apple stand, looking over apples and putting them one by one in her bag. She had that same thin frail look to her, but her hair was up in a loose bun. She smiled lightly at the old woman selling apples before heading off towards the vegetable area. He took this as an opportunity to follow behind her nonchalantly. He picked up various vegetables and paid for them as he trailed behind her. Then, she stopped at a stand near the end of the row. This was his chance he thought. He walked briskly past her and bumped her shoulder slightly.

"Excuse me." he said "I didn't see you…Granger?" he acted surprised. "Fancy meeting you here again." he smiled at her. She didn't return that smile.

"Yes, quite the coincidence." her brown eyes looked towards the street. "What are you doing here, don't you have servants who shop for you?" she asked bitterly.

"Just the one, but I like to buy my own fresh things. Elves are horrible at picking out apples and things like that."

"Humph…" she replied and went back to looking at potatoes.

"So, how are you?" he tried to make light conversation.

"Just fine."

"Want to have a cup of coffee with me? Talk about old times?" he grinned.

"Sorry, my husband comes home for lunch at noon." she said picking up a bag of onions.

"It's nine am, you have time."

"No, thank you." she said turning to walk away.

"Fine," he said curtly. "See if I ever try to be nice again." and with that he left the market. If she was being abused, that was her own fucking problem, he thought. He was done thinking about it.

She walked back to the car puzzled at what had just happened. Malfoy was here again, in a muggle market. What was he playing at? He invited her, a Mudblood, to have coffee with him. Could he possibly have a soul? No, that's not possible. She sat in her car puzzling for a moment or two before leaving to go home.

He raced at 100mph in his car towards his sleepy country manor. He was infuriated with the whole situation. He had tried to be nice, even though he didn't know why. He arrived home and ran up to his room where he sat brooding on the subject. His bad mood was heightened once again by a note from Pansy. 'Damn' he thought. 'I need to end this now.' he threw her note into the fire, and penned a quick one to her asking her to stop by in about an hour. He was going to get rid of this problem. He had planned to let her down gently, but if she annoyed him, well he couldn't be held responsible for his words. True to her annoying self, she arrived early and entered his room without knocking. She must have thought he called her over for a quick romp because she was dressed very scantily, skirt 5 inches above her knees. Button up white blouse with half the buttons undone and a black lacy bra peeking out. She smiled in her own seductive way and pounced on his bed. She began to unbutton the remaining buttons when he stopped her.

"Don't do that." he said with a straight face. He pulled her off of the bed and onto the sofa in front of the fire.

"What's the matter baby?" she said in that high pitched irritating voice. She then pouted her lips into an annoying formation.

"I think we should talk." he said shortly to her. Her dark eyes gleamed in the firelight.

"What about darling? Wedding plans?" she said perking up.

"No, definitely not, I think we have reached a point in our relationship where we can talk right?" he said, trying to cushion the blow.

"Of course." she said, stroking his hair and tilting her head.

"I need to tell you something." he said batting her hand away. She looked like a wounded animal.

"What is it?"

"I think we need to end this now. I don't want to be mean, or cruel, but I don't love you." he looked in her eyes trying to calm her with his.

"What do you mean?" she said on the verge of sobbing.

"I think we should date other people." he said flatly.

"WHY? WHAT DID I DO?" she wailed. Tears fell freely now.

"You didn't do anything." he said "It's just that we have been together so long it feels like we should be in love. But I am not."

"I will come back when you are more rational." she said standing up to go.

"No, it's over Pansy. I tried to be calm about it, but that's it. Get out and don't come back." he stood up and pushed her out the door and slammed it behind her. He heard her sobbing as she ran for the front door. He felt more pangs of guilt, but it had to be done. Didn't it? Yes. He thought. He sunk back into his couch and picked up a bottle of vivid red liquid. Firewhiskey. He poured himself a large glass and drank it quickly. The fiery sensation ran down his throat, burning it in the process. He had not meant to hurt Pansy, but the truth needed to be said. He was free. Of course mother would be very unhappy, but this was his life. He was lord of this manor now. Three more shots of firewhiskey left him feeling sleepy and wobbly. He laid his head back on the couch and fell asleep. He began to dream almost immediately.

_He woke up to screaming coming from his parent's room. He quietly tiptoed down the hall and peered into the room through the crack. _

_SMACK! And a body hit the floor_

"_You stupid foolish woman, get up. You know how it is around MY home. Get up and take your clothes off." his father's cruel voice echoed through the hallway. Draco peeked into the room and instead of his mother lying in a crumpled heap on the floor like he expected, he saw Granger. Bones sticking out of her thin pale skin. Nose bleeding, red lashes and bruises covered her frail body. She was sobbing as his father beat her senseless with his cane, laughing with every lash. She looked up and caught Draco's pale eyes with her big brown ones. They were pleading with him for help. Silently, he snuck up behind his father and attempted to take away his weapon. But his father was too quick for him, and the cane found a new mark with a resounding thump. The cane connected with the side of his head and he toppled on the floor next to Granger. She screamed, which was the wrong thing to do. The noise only infuriated his father, who had decided to turn his full attention to Draco. The cane hit him over and over. He heard a rib crack, then another. Then, without warning Granger threw herself over the top of Draco, shielding him from more blows. _"_Mudblood taking your pain for you? I always knew you were a weakling." he said kicking Draco in the side of the head. Granger screamed, and he kicked her in the face. Her screaming stopped as she slumped over him. Draco gently pushed her off of his chest and with difficulty stood up and faced his father._

Draco woke up in a cold sweat. He looked around the room and soon realized that he was alone and his father was dead. He went into the bath and splashed some water on his face. These nightmares scared the crap out of him. They were always so real. But this time it had not been his mother he witnessed being beat, it was Granger. And instead of watching painfully from the hall he had run in and tried to save her. Not only that, but she had thrown herself on top of him, in the vain attempt to shield him from his fathers blows. His heart was still pounding in his ears when he threw on some clothes and ran out of the house towards his car. He sped off into the sunset not really knowing where he planned to go. He raced back into London, and towards the Leakey Cauldron. He planned to get a drink and have a go in Diagon alley. He entered the pub and the old bartender Tom smiled a toothless grin and poured him a firewhiskey.

"Evening Mr. Malfoy, here you go."

Draco pitched him a few sickles and sat at the bar. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of red hair, intertwined with a mess of black. Potty and the mini-redhead. Great. He put his head low so that they would not notice him. He was in no mood for a confrontation at his point, but maybe, just maybe, they could help.


	3. Potter and the favor

Disclaimer; I own nothing! Thank you, now on with the story.

A/N Thanks to all of my reviewers, I hope you are enjoying this story. It was a little hard to write, domestic violence is a serious subject but I hope I did the story justice. Happy Reading!

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**Potter and the favor**

Draco stood up and marched right over to the snogging couple.

"Potter." he said through a tight-lipped smile

"Malfoy, what do you want." Ginny glared at him.

"I have to ask you something." Draco started "And I don't know how to do it." he sat down in a chair across from Harry.

"As you can see Malfoy, I am not gay. I am dating Ginny here, so asking me out would be completely pointless." he laughed and Ginny hid her mouth in a snigger.

"Potter that is not what I was going to say." he blushed a deep red. "Have you talked to Granger recently?"

"Hermione? Are you kidding? I haven't talked to her in almost 3 years. Since she got married. She sent Ron and me a letter telling us to stay out of her life. That was the last we heard from her. Why are you asking?" he said with some anger in his voice.

"I ran into her at the outdoor market in London. She looked, well…let me be honest. She looked ok in school, but now, she looks…uh…frail." he was embarrassed. He didn't know how to tell them the way she looked.

"What do you mean frail?" Harry asked somewhat alarmed.

"I don't know how to explain it." Draco admitted. He was figuring out how to tell someone who he had been enemies with for 7 years that he, Draco Malfoy, was concerned about someone else.

"All I know is that I have seen her twice, and both times she looked as if a good strong wind would blow her away. And she had some bruises on her arm."

"Are you sure? Why are you telling me this? Since when are you concerned for Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I don't know Potter. It's not like I planned this all out, if I hadn't seen you here I probably would have just let it go. But here you are, underfoot, just as always."

"Did she say anything to you?" Harry asked, eyebrow raised suspiciously.

"I asked her how she was doing. She said fine. Told me she was married. I asked about the bruises, and she stormed off. That was last week. Today when I saw her, she looked thinner than ever. When I asked her to join me for a cup of coffee, she refused and said she had to have lunch on the table by noon. I told her it was only 9am and she had plenty of time. She turned and left. Something isn't right." he said with some genuine concern.

Ginny piped up just then.

"What do you mean she **had** to have lunch on the table by noon? Who the hell did she marry Osama Bin Laden?"

'Oooh, the mini-redhead swore.' he thought. He smiled.

"That's what she said. Now normally I couldn't give two shits less about others problems, but I have experience with these things. And I think only a coward would hit a woman."

"Agreed" Harry said. His green eyes gleamed with anger.

"Anyway, I just thought you should know." he stood up to walk away.

"Wait, Malfoy…I don't know my way around muggle London that well. Do you think maybe you could meet me here and we could go looking for her? I would like to see for myself. I know this is a lot to ask since we were never really friends, but I have been worried about her forever."

"Uh, sure Potter. I will pick you up here, next week. 8am sharp. Got it? If you aren't here on time, I'm not waiting." and with that he slunk off.

He thought about his odd conversation with Potter a moment ago. Why had he even mentioned it? Now he had to spend a morning next week with Potty. But, maybe if he could get him to talk to Granger, he could get that load off of his mind. He got into his car and drove home. He went into his room when he got there and fell promptly asleep soon after.

One week later Draco dressed early and sped off towards the Leaky Cauldron. Blasted Potter. The sun was just beginning to peak over the clear sky. He arrived in the dingy alley and saw Potter standing there waiting for him. He honked his horn once and Potter ran over to the car and got in the front seat.

"Do you think you could duck down Potter? I don't want anyone to see you in my car." he smirked at him. Harry looked confused.

"Serious Malfoy?" his eyes widened under those glasses.

"Not really." Draco said.

"Listen Malfoy, I really appreciate you doing this. You don't know how we have worried about her since we got that letter all those years ago." he looked out the side window as the alleyways passed by them in a blur.

"Don't mention it. Really. Don't." Draco said as he shifted into third gear. They arrived in the market about 8:30.

"I usually sit on this bench over here. I'm going to get a coffee want one?" Harry nodded. A minute later Draco returned carrying two cups. He handed one to Harry and they sat there in an awkward silence for the next half an hour. At about 9:15 Draco nudged Harry who was beginning to doze off.

"There" he pointed to the skinny girl in baggy clothes over at the bread stand.

"No," Harry said, "That is not Hermione." Draco nodded.

"It is."

Harry stood up to go talk to her, but Draco pulled him down.

"Not just yet." he said to a flustered Harry. "You will scare her off."

"Are you kidding? This is Hermione, she is one of my closest friends." he broke into a quick jog to her and Draco followed close behind.

"Hermione, Hermione…" Harry yelled, running at break neck speed to catch up with her.

She looked up from the bread in complete horror. She looked around in a panic and saw Harry running at her, arms open. She did not want him to see her like this. She tried to walk away, but he caught up with her in a flash.

"Hermione, didn't you hear me calling you?" he said out of breath.

"No, sorry. Hi." she said meekly.

Harry looked her over. Malfoy had been right. She was extremely thin, and he also noticed she had a bloody lip that was in the process of healing. Her forearms were also bruised slightly. He pulled her into a tight hug that made her wince.

"What happened to you?" he asked her. "We got that letter from you and have not heard from you since." his eyes narrowed on her many bruises. Some yellow and near healing, some deep black and purple, fresh and new. He had a sickening feeling in his stomach.

"I just have moved on Harry. My husband and I like our privacy." she had a sick feeling as well, she hated lying to Harry.

"We miss you 'Mione." he said burrowing his gaze into her caramel eyes.

"Don't you worry about me. I am fine." just then she spied Malfoy lurking about the market. "Is that Malfoy again? I swear he's stalking me."

"He brought me to see you. He was worried about you. Said you looked very thin." Harry told her. Apparently this was the wrong thing to say.

"Worried? About me? Right. He was always cruel to me. What would he have to worry about?"

"I don't know 'Mione. I ran into him at the Leaky Cauldron. He told me about running into you here."

"Oh for the love of Merlin. I have to get home." she picked up her bags and started running towards her car. Harry grabbed her by the arm and turned her around.

"Why so you can get him his lunch by noon?" he asked sarcastically.

"What…how do you…you don't know…" she was flustered.

"Yes I do." Harry said looking her in the eyes.

"I have to go Harry. Nice to see you again." she darted off into the crowd.

Harry walked back over to Draco shaking his head.

"That was not the Hermione I knew. What happened?"

"I think I know Potter, but you are not going to like it." Draco motioned for him to sit down on the bench again.

"I don't know if I even want to hear it." Harry said.

"I think Granger landed herself with a real loser. Do you know her husbands name?"

"Yeah, it's Steven Shanly. We met him at her wedding. Seemed like a nice guy."

"What does he do for a living?" Draco asked.

"He owns a shop in Diagon Alley. I think it is an apothecary." Harry said quickly.

"I think we should go there and have a look at him. What do you say? A temporary truce?" Draco stuck out his hand. Harry took it.

"Sure, lets go." they walked to Draco's car and sped back towards the Leaky Cauldron. Harry sat in numbed silence most of the way there. He finally broke the silence halfway there.

"Why are you doing this Malfoy?"

"If you don't want my help, just say so." he said bitterly. "And my name is Draco. I hate being called Malfoy. Reminds me of my father." he said turning the corner.

"Sorry Draco."

"If you must know, I have had a lot of experience with cowards beating women and kids. Let's just leave it at that." he pulled into a parking space and they entered the dingy pub. Tom smiled at them as they walked through to the back and tapped the appropriate bricks. The doorway opened and they stepped into the bright street full of witches and wizards. They made their way down the street and came to 'The Lone Wizard's apothecary.' and stepped inside. A pungent aroma hit both of their noses as they entered farther inside. A tall wizard stood behind the counter and Harry nudged Draco in the side. When Draco looked at him, he motioned towards the counter. Draco's eyes widened. The man that stood behind it was tall and muscular. He outweighed Harry and Draco by at least 50 lbs. He had a charming smile reminiscent of Gilderoy Lockhart's. His dark eyes sparkled as he chatted happily with a customer. Harry pulled him aside and said;

"That's him." Draco made kind of a gagging noise. Harry's eyes narrowed onto the tall man who was advancing on them. He hoped he didn't recognize him from the wedding.

"Good Morning gentleman, what can I help you with today?" he was overly cheerful.

"Uh, just looking" Draco said in a hurry. The man's happy face left him and he walked away to talk with some other customers.

"What are we going to do?" Harry asked. "He didn't recognize me, should I ask about Hermione?"

"Hell no!" Draco whispered. "Who knows what he would do to her if he realized who you were."

Harry's eyes flickered with anger once again.

"Let's buy something and leave, we can talk somewhere else." Draco said. He picked up a bag of beetle wings and headed for the counter. Draco paid for them and he and Harry walked out the door into the crowded street.

"That guy is huge!" Draco said. Not that he was afraid, more worried for Granger.

"I know. I had forgotten how big he was." Harry swallowed quickly. "What now?"

"I have no idea. We could go to the market again next week. I would say she would change her day that she goes, but my guess is he wouldn't allow that." Draco said as they neared the Leaky Cauldron again.

"Yeah" Harry said. "How about same time next week?"

"Sure." Draco said. He thought about what he was getting himself into. Harry waived him a quick goodbye as Draco got into his car and made the long drive home.

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	4. The Plan

**Disclaimer; I own nothing:(**

**A/N Here is the next chapter, dont forget to review! Happy Reading!

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**The Plan**

The following week came quickly enough and Draco was up again at the crack of dawn, dressing hurriedly and heading for the Leaky Cauldron. He had no clue what they were going to do if they saw her again. She was obviously brainwashed, just like his mother had been all those years.

Meanwhile, Hermione was getting Steven his breakfast. She was worried about going to the market again after her confrontation with Harry. But surely he wouldn't be there again. She plated his eggs (scrambled), toast (light brown, not black, lightly buttered), sausages (three) and coffee (black, two sugars). He sat down smiling at her. He ate quickly and then handed her some money to take to the market.

"Anything special you want?" she asked him.

"Nope, stick to the list." he kissed her cheek and disappeared quickly. She got dressed quickly and brushed her hair, piling it into a bun. There was a fresh cut on her head she wanted to hide. His coffee had been cold the other morning. He had smashed the cup over her head. She looked at herself in the mirror and wondered how she had gotten to be like this. She was Head Girl at Hogwarts. Top of her class. Now she was a pathetic loser, beaten to a pulp every other day. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away quickly and put her shoes on andthen walked out to the car. She thought of Harry as she drove. She had been so glad to see him, and yet so ashamed of the way she looked. All she wanted to do was hold him, and tell him everything. But that would put Harry at risk too. And why was Malfoy telling Harry of all people where to find her? It didn't make sense. She pulled into the parking lot and got out grabbing her market bags from the back seat.

Draco had picked Harry up and they waited on the same bench, sipping coffee, wondering what the plan was. Harry knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to grab her up and kidnap her. Take her away to safety. His mind had thought of this all week. He had yet to tell Ron, and made Ginny swear to it as well. Ron had a hot head, and after seeing the size of Hermione's husband, Ron would be thrown to the wayside in any fight. After 20 minutes they spotted her shopping for potatoes and onions. Harry stood up and motioned for Draco to do the same.

"When we get to her, if she refuses to talk to us, we are grabbing her got it?" Harry said with all seriousness in the world. Draco cocked his head.

"That's the plan? To kidnap her in a crowded market? Pathetic. We will make her come with us. I will put a body bind spell on her and we will calmly pull her towards my car okay?" Harry nodded.

They got within feet of Hermione before Harry called out. She froze in place again. Harry and Malfoy were advancing on her. She had nowhere to hide.

"Uh, hi Harry. I am in a hurry." she turned to leave.

"Oh no you don't. You are not avoiding me again. We are going to have a nice little chat somewhere private." he tugged on her sore arm.

"I can't really, so many errands to run. I will owl you soon." but he kept pulling her, and suddenly her whole body stiffened and she dropped her bag. Draco strolled over and they walked her stiffened body over to Draco's car. When she was safely inside Draco sped off in the direction of the manor. She could hear everything that was happening, but couldn't move. They must have put a spell on her. She had been laid in the back seat, rigid, listening to them conspire about her well-being. After a half hour or so they arrived at the manor and Draco and Harry carried her into the manor and up the stairs into his room. When they got in there Draco mumbled something and her whole body loosened.

'WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU TWO THINK YOU ARE DOING?" she screamed. Panicked, she looked at her watch. 9 Am. Three hours till lunch. What would happen if she wasn't there? She shuddered to think.

"Be quiet Hermione, listen to me or I will bind you again." Harry said fiercely. She put her lips together and looked at them with contempt.

"What is going on Hermione? Something is obviously wrong." he said trying to comfort her. She was shaking from head to toe.

"The only thing that is wrong is that I have been kidnapped while shopping for groceries." she said in a huff.

"Ok, so what's with all the bruises?' Draco asked.

"What is it to you? Why did you bring Harry into all this? I am fine. Leave it at that." tears poured down her red cheeks.

"No Hermione!" shouted Harry. "I won't. I haven't heard from you in three years almost. You disappeared from Ron and my life like we meant nothing to you? Repeated owls went ignored. You look like you had a go with the whomping willow. Just because Steven is much bigger, does not give him the right to treat you like a personal punching bag." tears shone in his emerald eyes.

Draco stepped forward.

"Let me heal those for you." he picked up his wand and started to speak but she silenced him.

"No, he will know. I am not allowed to do magic. Especially to heal my punishments." she was so humiliated. Reduced to this. "Now please, someone apparate me back to the market. I have to fix lunch by noon."

"No, you are going to stay here, with Draco until we get this sorted out." Draco looked taken aback by Harry's words.

"She is?" he said.

"It's safe. He doesn't know you, you have plenty of room. It's the safest place in the world." Harry said stiffly.

"No, I won't stay. I have to get home. You don't know what will…" and with that she broke into tears.

"What will happen 'Mione? He will hit you some more, what? How did you become this person?" Harry's eyes shone with tears for his friend. Finally she broke down, throwing her arms around Harry's neck and sobbing openly.

"I don't know how it went this way." she cried. "It happened all of a sudden, after we were married, one minute everything was fine and the next, well the next I am this…" she motioned her many bruises and cuts. Harry held her for a long time, and she let him. Finally she spoke again;

"I have to get back now, it's almost 10." she wiped her eyes.

"Didn't you hear me 'Mione? You are staying here. I won't let him hit you again. I just won't. Draco and I are going to work on a plan," Draco nodded. "And in the meantime you can stay here right?" he nodded again reluctantly.

"That's that then." he stood up and walked to the door. She was sobbing on Draco's bed.

"You have to keep her here until I can figure something out. Okay?"

"All right. What's the plan?" Draco said looking nervously at her.

"I don't know. I will owl you in a day or two. Keep her out of sight. I will arrange another place as soon as I can." Harry walked out of the room. A minute later Hermione attempted to follow.

"Sit down" Draco said coolly. And to his surprise, she sat. She looked surprised at her own actions. She supposed she was so used to following orders; it was in her nature now. She sat on the couch and stared into the fire. Her eyes were red and swollen. He sat down next to her.

"Potter has his heart in the right place you know." he waved his wand and healed her instantly. He knew all of those spells from his mum. She looked shocked. She looked at her arms, now creamy and smooth. She felt her head, the lump had vanished.

"Now, if I am going to look at you, you need to clean up." He went into the bathroom and ran a hot bath. He motioned her in there and she shut the door behind her.

'How strange.' she thought. He was being outright kind to her, well kind for Malfoy anyway. She stripped her clothes off and stepped into the large tub. She had not taken a bath for a long time. Showers only. That was the way it was. Her muscles relaxed in an instant. A minute or two later she heard a knock at the door.

"Uh, Malfoy?"

"No miss; it is the Malfoy's house-elf Dribby. Young mister sent me to give you these clean clothes."

"Okay, come in." she said.

The small elf entered the room carrying piles of clothes, robes and towels. She set them on a small vanity chair and left the room bowing furiously. Half an hour later she was dressing. She looked at her watch that she had taken off. 'Nearly eleven' she thought. She bit her lip. What would he do when he found her missing? Would he think she had run off? Been kidnapped? Met another man? She shuddered to think about what would be left of her things if she ever went back there. She put on some clean underwear. Where had he gotten these? And a scarlet robe, made of fine silk that flowed around her. She brushed her hair and it fell into loose wet curls. When she left the bathroom she felt better than she had in ages, but she was still here with Malfoy. Obviously Harry trusted him with her, so she relaxed slightly. On the table in front of the couch was a tray laden with food. Sandwiches, drinks, fruit, muffins and lots of things she enjoyed.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I had Dribby bring up lots of things. Help yourself." said a voice from the far corner. He smiled at her with those full pink lips. She sat down and picked at a muffin. She was hungry, but used to not eating.

'Granger, come on. Eat for Merlin's sake." he sat by her on the sofa. "Don't make me feed you."

She smiled in a sad sort of way, picking up a small sandwich and taking tiny little bites. She looked at the clock. It was noon.

Back at Hermione's house Steven apperated home just like he did every day. He walked into the kitchen and dropped his wand promptly on the spotless floor. No Hermione. He could feel the blood rushing to his face. This would bring a punishment most severe. He tore around the house looking for her. Nothing. He looked into the driveway. The car was not there. Had she been in an accident? He strolled out to the garage and backed the SUV out of the driveway and drove along the way she normally went to the market. If she wasn't dead, she would wish she was. No car along the way. He pulled into the market and saw her car, sitting alone in its spot near a tree. A closer look made him realize that her shopping bag lay a mere 20 feet from her abandoned car. He was in a panic now. Had someone abducted her, or had she finally got the balls to run? He didn't know, but intended to find out. He put on his charming smile and walked over to the man who sold potatoes.

"Excuse me fine sir." he smiled widely.

"Yes sir, how may I help you?" the tired old man replied.

Steven took out his wallet and pulled out a picture of Hermione on their wedding day.

"Have you seen this woman, she is my wife. She is normally home from the market by now, but when I arrived home for lunch she wasn't there. So I drove here, and her car and shopping bag are here, but she is not. Can you help me?" he forced tears out of his dark eyes.

"Ah, yes. She comes here every week. Although she doesn't look nearly this pretty anymore. She is much thinner and is always nursing cuts and bruises." the old man glared at him. Steven had a feeling he knew more than he was letting on.

"Was she here today?" he asked, a little less nicely.

"Yes, very early." he replied.

"Did she buy anything?"

"Yes, some potatoes."

"Did you see anyone with her?"

"No."

"Did you see where she went?"

"No"

"Thank you for being absolutely no help at all.' he screamed as he stormed off.

His mind was racing now, where had she gone? She was surely here this morning. She bought potatoes, but her bag was thrown on the ground, potatoes gone. Had someone snatched her and then stolen her purchases? Silly as it sounded he had heard of petty thieves living in muggle London. He hadn't given her much money, maybe they were going to hold her for ransom. Or maybe…just maybe, she planned all this. She had finally left. When he found her, well, let's just say she would never leave again. It would be the basement while he was at work and a magical binding when he slept. She would never leave the house again. No more shopping without him. He paced the crowded square, asking every vendor if they had seen anything. They all looked at him with contempt for some reason and said they saw nothing. That was it. He needed to go to the police, and file a muggle missing person report, and then to the ministry and have the best Aurors work on his case. He got back in the truck and followed the signs to the muggle police station. He walked inside and up to the desk.

"Good morning" the redheaded police woman said. "How may I help you?"

"I need to file a missing person report please." he flashed his charming smile at her and she returned it widely.

"Who is missing?" she asked leaning across the counter.

"My wife. She went shopping in that outdoor market in the square this morning. She is usually home by lunch, but when I got home to eat with her, she wasn't there. So I drove to the market and found her car there and her shopping bag laying 20 feet from the car door." he lowered his eyes and forced out some tears.

"Oh you poor dear, come with me." she motioned for him to follow her down the busy hall where she seated him in front of a rather menacing looking man. He was large and bald and had no neck.

"So, your wife disappeared?" he said with a grunt.

"Yes, while shopping." he said sadly.

He continued to fill out forms for the remainder of the afternoon and even drove the detective over to the market and showed him her car and her bag and where he found it. By the time he was done, it was 3pm.

Back in Malfoy Manor, Hermione had begun to nervously chew her fingernails. She kept looking at the clock, and then back into the fire. Draco watched her carefully, not really knowing what to say. He didn't know how he had gotten himself into this situation. He was sure not used to comforting someone. He tried to think of something she would like.

"I'll be right back." he said to her. He got up, walked over to the door and magically locked it behind him. He ran to the library and grabbed an armful of books. His mother looked at him from the sitting room as if he were quite mad. He ran back up the stairs and into the room. She blankly looked at him, silently pleading. But for what he didn't know. He plopped the books onto the bed. An array of literature. Mystery, romance, fantasy. Every kind of book he could carry.

"There." he said pointing to the pile.

She cocked her head and said nothing.

"I know you used to like to read, I grabbed some books to pass the time." he smiled, proud of himself thinking of it. She turned away from him, staring back into the dying flames.

"Granger, are you not going to speak to me?" he said, starting to get annoyed. She merely looked back at him; her eyes were breaking his heart. She looked like a lost puppy. He went over and sat down again.

"Look, I know you are not happy about this, and frankly neither am I. But, Harry, through all of his many, many, many faults he loves you more than you can imagine. I didn't plan out this situation, but here we are. Right in the middle of it. When I saw you in the market that day, well I knew right away what you were involved in." he said softly.

"And when I saw Potter in the Leaky Cauldron I felt like he needed to know." she turned to look at him.

"And he just wants to keep you safe." he said knowing what needed to be said.

"Look, I know how you feel. I lived with it for many years. It feels hopeless. Like death would be better. But eventually something happens to change that, and life can get better." his stomach felt sick from thinking of his former life. This seemed to spark some interest and she said;

"How did you live with it?" her voice was so soft, he barely heard her.

"My father." he said, regaining some composure. "If I tell you this, you can speak of it to no other, understand?" she nodded.

"From the time I was old enough to walk my father would hit me with his cane. When I was older, I realized it wasn't just me. I walked in on my father beating my mother countless amounts of times. I watched her try to protect herself, I tried to protect her, but I was too much of a coward. Eventually you get numb, just try to live through them. And when he died, I shed no tears; my life was finally able to begin. And my mum, has regained her beauty and grace that was once marred by ugly scars and bruises, which my father would not allow her to heal either." he had never told another living soul about the state of his home life.

"I am sorry, but that is not me." she said, knowing that was a lie. He raised his eyebrow at her.

"Its not. I just get punished fo…"

"For not doing what you were told, for not giving him what he wanted, for the coffee being cold?" the last comment struck a cord in her head. She started to sob. He panicked not knowing what to do. He reached over and patted her on the shoulder.

"Look, no one deserves that." he said comfortingly.

Big fat tears ran down her cheeks, falling onto the crimson silk dressing gown. She looked at him ashamed.

"I am sorry. I didn't know about your dad. Was he like that when you were in school?" she said wiping her tears.

"That's why I stayed during lots of holidays. When ever I could."

"Oh." she said quietly.

"Now that we got that out of the way, what would you like to do?" he asked.

She looked over at the clock. Almost 5pm. She hadn't done anything for herself in ages. The schedule was strict.

"Uh, I don't know. Can I have a look at those books?" she said meekly.

"Help yourself. I am going to go get some tea and snacks. I will be back. Would you like anything?"

"No." she said scanning the book covers. He started to walk out.

"Uh, Malfoy." she started.

"Yes"

"Thank you." she smiled genuinely as he shut the door and locked it behind him.


	5. Roommates

Disclaimer; I dont own Harry, or Hermione or Draco (unfortunatly) or anything else you may recognize. :(

A/N; I love all of the reviews I am getting for this story. I am so happy! Keep them up and Happy Reading!

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**Roommates**

He smiled as he was walking down the stairs to the kitchen. Dribby greeted him at the kitchen door bowing and asking him what he wanted.

"I am getting some tea and snacks Dribby. I want you to promise me you won't mention my guest to mother or anyone else, okay?" he looked at her sternly.

She nodded and mumbled a yes as he grabbed some tea, biscuits, jam, cheese, crackers and some chocolate cookies. He filled the tray and gave her his order for dinner, 8pm. And he proceeded to carry the tray up the stairs to his room. When he unlocked the door she was sitting on the couch again, reading a book. She looked happier already. And he felt good about himself. He had done something completely unselfish, and it felt great. He laid the tray on the small table and poured her some tea.

"Thank you again Malfoy." she said sipping her tea.

"Can I ask you for a favor?" he said sitting his cup back on the tray.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Can you not call me Malfoy? I hate it." he smiled.

"Oh, sure. What do you want me to call you?" that was a stupid question, she thought.

"Master." he said grinning madly. She giggled. "Draco."

"Ok, Draco."

He handed her a plate filled with food.

"I can't eat all this." she said. Eyes wide looking at the plate.

"You can, you are far to thin." she smiled at him and nibbled on a cookie.

The rest of the evening, she hardly looked at the clock. They talked quietly and read. She found out she enjoyed his company, and he hers. They ate dinner together, she actually had an appetite.

When 10 pm came, she got up and looked around.

"Where should I sleep?" she asked.

"In my bed" he said.

She looked alarmed. Was this the price of her staying here?

"Excuse me?"

"In my bed, I always sleep on the couch or in the reading chair. Why what did you think I meant?"

She laughed.

"Nothing." she said climbing onto the large bed. It was the most comfortable bed she had ever laid on. Her body sunk into the feather mattress. She couldn't help but think of Steven when she closed her eyes. She wondered what he was doing, if he thought she left him, or if he even cared. Soon after, she drifted into peaceful slumber.

Draco reclined on the couch and watched her. She looked like she was enjoying the massive bed, as she was lying directly in the middle, arms and legs stretched out as far at she could. She was breathing heavily. He blew out the candles and the whole room filled with moonlight. Some of it spilled onto the bed. She looked so fragile lying there; he couldn't help feeling a twinge in his heart. He laid his head on the pillow and fell asleep.

Several hours later she woke up screaming, in unfamiliar surroundings. She felt the bed, she was alone. She started crying. 'I don't know any other way anymore.' she thought. 'I need to get back to him.' she was panicking. Draco heard her wake up and walked over to the bed.

"Is everything ok?" he asked patting her on the shoulder. She was having trouble breathing. He sat down next to her.

"I can't do this." she said sobbing. "I don't know how anymore, I am too old to start over."

"Oh, yes positively ancient. What are you 23?" he laughed. She gave him a scowling look.

"You know what I mean. I am used to it, used to the schedule, the way things were done." she looked him in the eyes, not knowing what to say to explain.

"Granger, what are you worried about?" he said getting annoyed with her. He didn't understand how she could want to go back to him.

"I don't know." she sniffed. "I guess I am having trouble sleeping alone. She looked down at the floor. "I am used to having someone lay next to me. I can't sleep without it." she looked down, ashamed again. Draco blushed a deep red.

"Uh, I don't know what to say to that." he absentmindedly scratched his head and looked around the room. He felt awkward. If you had told him a few weeks ago that he would be sitting her having a conversation in the middle of the night, on his bed, with Hermione Granger he would have told you to get your head checked at St. Mungo's. But here she was, sobbing like a child, looking at him with her big brown eyes that pleaded silently.

"Would you like me to lay with you until you fell asleep?" he asked embarrassed.

She looked up at him, shocked that he would suggest it. This was Draco Malfoy. The one that tormented and teased her relentlessly throughout her years at school. But for once he was sincere and she did need some comforting. She nodded her head. And slipped back under the covers. He grabbed a blanket from the couch and got on top of the covers, slipped under his blanket and laid next to her. She lay on her side, facing the window.

"Draco?" she said quietly. "Are you asleep?"

"No" he said, staring up at the canopy above him.

"Would you mind lying behind me, facing the same way? It's the way I normally sleep."

He sighed heavily. And turned to face the window as well. It was quite uncomfortable. His arms lay in awkward places. She scooted closer to him, and breathed a sigh of relief. He was now laying an inch from her body. His one arm was under a pillow and the other one was balanced on top of his body. He could not sleep like this. A second later, his right arm fell over her body, holding her absentmindedly. He fell asleep within seconds.

Morning came with Hermione jumping up at 7am. She looked at the clock and ran around the room, forgetting again where she was. Draco sat up in his bed and laughed at her.

'She must have an internal clock.' he thought.

"Calm down, breakfast will be here soon. I told Dribby what to bring last night. Would you like to bathe or shower first?" she shook her head no. "All right, I am going to hop in the shower. Be right back." he got up from bed and strolled over to his adjoining bath. He stripped down and threw his clothes into the hamper and grabbed a large fluffy towel from the shelf. He turned the water on, steaming hot. He stepped in and let the hot water run down his body. He had slept very well last night. Too well. He woke up with his arm wrapped around her, smelling her sweet scent. It alarmed him. But he fell asleep again, at least until she jolted up in a panic. 10 minutes later he was refreshed and awake. He wrapped a towel around his waist and without thinking walked back out into his room. She was sitting on the couch, flipping through a book. He caught her eyes with his. They traveled from his eyes, down his chest, to his towel. And she looked back up startled.

"OH GODS! I am sorry. I am used to just strutting around her naked!" he blushed again and grabbed some clothes, running back into the bathroom. He promptly got dressed and walked back out to find her giggling madly. He smiled back.

"All yours." he said, motioning for her to go in. She grabbed some of the clothes that Dribby brought her the previous day and drew herself a bath. The water filled quickly and she stepped in. Her mind darted to last night. Draco had slept with her, held her close. Made her feel safe. It was a strange feeling for her. She hadn't felt safe in years. Always walking on egg shells. But not last night. She had cried and he comforted her like an old friend. She then thought of a minute ago. She looked at him standing there in only a towel. Feelings stirred in her that hadn't been there in quite a while. She felt like she would very much like to run her hand down his smooth chest. She giggled at that thought. Her life had been turned upside down in the last 24 hours. And she was enjoying it immensely. But she knew sometime that she would have to go back and face Steven. But not today hopefully.

'Please Gods, not today.'

Steven called one of his lower employees to fill in for him while he went to the ministry. The London times already ran an article in this morning's news about his missing wife. After the ministry, he would owl The Daily Prophet and have them run something too. He had slept like shit. He was used to having her before he slept. He fumbled around with his wand trying to fix himself something to eat. He would kill whoever had taken her away from him. 10 minutes and several burned eggs later he threw some crap on a plate and tried to force it down. After a bite or so he tossed it in the can and apperated directly to the ministry. The short wizard at the desk pointed him towards the auror office. He opened the door and strolled over to the desk of the first wizard he saw.

"I need some help" he stated. The wizard, who was medium height, with black untidy hair and emerald green eyes that were hidden behind glasses. A lightning bolt scar resided on his forehead.

"What can I do for you Mr.….?"

"Shanly. Steven Shanly. My wife is missing." he sat down across from the Auror and carefully explained the situation. The man took down notes, filled in some papers and bid him a good day saying he would owl with any new leads. He shoved Steven out the door and returned to his desk, slightly alarmed at seeing him here. He didn't recognize Harry, thank Merlin. He owled Malfoy immediately telling him that Steven was looking for her and to keep her put.

Draco and Hermione had a pleasant breakfast, after which they played wizard chess. She lost miserably. Just then an owl pecked at Draco's window.

"It's from the ministry." he grabbed the letter and read;

_Draco, _

_Steven was in here filing a missing person's report. The London Times had an article in it about her telling anyone who saw anything to report it to the muggle police. I am sure the Daily Prophet will be running something tomorrow. Keep her happy and quiet. I am still looking for somewhere to hide her. No luck yet. Tell her I love her and to try to cheer up._

_Thanks, _

_Harry_

He read it quickly before tossing it into the fire. He didn't want anything to be able to be traced. She asked him what the letter was for and he lied, saying it was something to do with his family's contributions. He sat back down and played many games of chess before becoming bored.

"So…" he started. "What do you want to do now?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and looked around. It was quite boring being trapped in one room all day long. He reached under a dresser and pulled out a bottle of fire-red liquid. He poured himself a glass and offered some to her. She shook her head no, but he poured a small one anyway. Handing her to her, he drank his in one big gulp, smacking the glass back onto the table. She sniffed the drink suspiciously and took a tiny sip. He enjoyed watching her face as she felt the burning liquid slide down her throat. She choked and he laughed.

"What in Merlin's name is that?' she asked between coughs.

"Firewhiskey. Don't tell me you have never had any." he said amused.

"No, I don't drink." but as she said that she downed the rest of the glass and slammed the glass down on the table imitating him. She smiled. He poured them both another glass, and tried to make pleasant conversation with her.

"So, Granger what do you do all day normally?" he asked.

"Well, I get up at 7, make breakfast. Mondays I go to the market. Clean the house, fix lunch, clean the house, fix dinner, clean up from dinner, listen to him about his day, shower, get ready for bed, have…well never mind, then go to sleep." she left out the nightly sex part.

"Wow, boring." he mused as he poured another glass for himself. "Can I ask you something else?"

"I guess."

"What in the hell do you see in that guy? I always thought you were a very strong independent person, even in school."

"I don't know Draco; he wasn't like this before we got married. I was studying to be a healer; Harry was studying to be an Auror. Ron and I, well we broke up after graduation, but we were still friends. I met him and he swept me off of my feet. We married a year later, and within the week the abuse started. I told him I was still going to be a healer, but he said I was to be a housewife and nothing more. I planned to leave, but he took my wand and locked me in the basement. After that getting hit I guess broke my spirit. I just accepted it as part of my life." tears fell fast and free. He wanted to hug her, but he resisted.

"I didn't mean to upset you." he said, placing his hand on her bony shoulder.

"It's ok. I feel like I can tell you since you went through it too." she sniffed. He nodded his head letting her know he understood. Then she leaned over and hugged him, startled, he hugged back. He felt so good in her arms, she smelled his body. Clean and fresh and she nuzzled her head in his chest. He too inhaled her scent. Sweet, like jasmine and vanilla. He laid his head on top of her hair and let her cry into him. After what seemed like a long time, but not long enough for either of them, they broke apart, slightly embarrassed for that moment of intimacy.

"Sorry." she mumbled, backing away from him as if she were scared he would lash out at any moment.

"Its fine." he replied. Not letting on that he would have held her all night if she would have let him.


	6. Games

Disclaimer; I own nothing!

A/N Happy Thanksgiving all! Here is your update, I hope you enjoy it. Happy Reading and dont forget to review!

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**Games**

Harry was having a fit. The newspapers, both muggle and wizard were having a field day with Hermione's disappearance. It was a slow news week. It didn't help that Steven was found on the telly every day pleading for his wife's safe return. Or being interviewed in the Daily Prophet begging for information. He knew that his job would be at stake if anyone found out about his role in her sudden departure. He looked for places to hide her that she would be safe but no one was willing to take in someone they didn't know or risk being an accessory. The burrow was too risky. So was his small flat, so for the moment she was in the safest place in the world. He was keeping in regular contact with Draco, and he with Harry. He told Harry that Hermione was gaining weight and looking much better. She had stopped obsessing with the schedule and was reading like she used to. This made Harry smile. He owled Draco and told him it may be several more weeks before he can find somewhere to hide her, due to all the media attention. Draco had owled back saying 'no problem'. It was like a total change. Weird.

Unfortunately, the stress of keeping to one room had worn on both Draco and Hermione. They had read piles and piles of books. Played innumerable games of chess and talked until they had nothing left to say. Harry suggested some muggle games and sent a shop name that carried them. Draco thought it might be a good idea, although she would have the upper hand being raised muggle and all. She marked the ones that she knew and he was going off to the store that very afternoon.

"You will be okay wont you?" he asked before he was set to leave.

"Yep, I'm going to read some more. Can you pick something else up for me?" she asked.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, in the market there is a candy maker who sells these chocolate caramels. Just a few please?" she batted her lashes at him in a mocking way.

"Okay, be back soon." he replied as he walked out the door and locked it behind him.

He got to his car and drove quickly to the city. He wanted to get all the games, and treats, but also some presents for her. She was just so great to hang with. She was smart, and now that she had gained some weight back, very cute. He loved the way she laughed, and the way she scowled when she lost at chess. He knew it was only temporary her staying, but he was having the time of his life. It was nothing like hanging out with Pansy. Granger actually had a brain, and could carry on a conversation with him. He liked that about her.

She sat in front of the fire, reading a book on healing. She still wanted to be a healer, even though it would probably never happen. This last week and a half had been very odd indeed. She was living in the bedroom of her former arch rival. And she liked it. He was funny and smart, capable of intelligent conversation, and quiet moments as well. She hardly ever thought of Steven, he was her husband, but only in law. In her mind, she wished he would just go away. She was happy to be free of the constant abuse. Draco had told her that he was making quite the issue of her disappearance, so she would have to stay hidden for quite a while longer. And that was fine with her.

He parked his car in the market square. He walked a quarter mile or so up the road to a toy store. They carried the games suggested. The man behind the counter smiled at him and asked;

"How may I help you today sir?"

"I need these games, can you help me find them?" he handed him a list.

"Indeed I can." the man said motioning for Draco to follow him.

Draco held out his arms as the man piled Monopoly, Scrabble, Yahtzee, checkers, Truth or dare, Life and Sorry. He promptly paid and put them in the trunk of his car. He headed for the outdoor market, where to his surprise Hermione's husband was having a press conference. He moved closer so he could hear.

"Please, I am begging anyone who has information on my wife's kidnapping to please come forward. I am offering a huge reward. She means the world to me…" he broke off into some really noticeable fake tears. "Just bring my Hermione home to me." he blew his nose and motioned for the cameras to leave as he faked being to overcome with sorrow to continue. Draco huffed at this display. It made him angry that this bastard was trying to convince everyone that he was the perfect husband. He walked over to the candy maker and got her a huge bag of her favorites. Then he was off to the clothing store to buy her some comfortable clothes and under things. She had been wearing the same 3 robes and undergarments since she got there. The woman in the clothing store was very eager to help him. He bought her some muggle clothing, t-shirts, jeans and some comfy sweatpants to lounge in. he also bought her some slippers as her feet were always cold, and a hoodie sweatshirt. When he got to the underwear section he was slightly embarrassed, but the sales lady helped him out. He got her 7 new pairs of panties, 2 bras. (He estimated her size according to the sales girl she was a 34c) and a nightgown to sleep in. Long, nothing revealing. He paid for his purchases and headed back to his car. The thought of her husband still lingered in his head. He wanted to go beat the living daylights out of him. Show him how it felt. But in his mind he was doing one up on that. He had his wife hidden safely away, happy and healthy. He smiled as he sped off towards home.

When he arrived he found her waiting with a smile. She was happy to see him. He put the games on the bed and called her over to see the clothes. Her eyes widened when he handed her the bags.

"I thought you might be tired of wearing the same things. I hope I got the sizes right." he blushed when she pulled out the underwear and bras.

"I had a sales person help me with those. I didn't know…" she smiled at him before he could finish. But a look closer revealed tears in her eyes again.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry." he said.

"No, it's just that I haven't had new clothes and things in years, these are tears of joy." she smiled again through those teary eyes. She put her arms out and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him into an unexpected hug. As she pulled away, her face was inches from his. Her eyes looked at him longingly, and he reached down and brushed her lips with his. She pulled back quickly, looking confused and guilty.

"I'm sorry." he said. "I shouldn't have done that. You just looked so…" he broke off not knowing what to say. But he did know that he should not have kissed her. She was too emotionally screwed up to handle that. She sat there in silence for a moment.

"It's okay, I just wanted to thank you for all this." she motioned to the piles of clothes. He looked at his watch to avoid her eyes.

"Nearly time for dinner." he said standing up. "I will go give our order, anything special?"

She shook her head no.

"Okay, be right back." he walked out of the room and down the hall cursing himself all the way.

She sat back on the bed, touching her fingers to her lips where his had just been. They were soft and warm and unlike anything she had felt in many years. They were not rough like Steven's, or sloppy like Ron's, it was beautiful. But she had not known what to think, so like always her emotions got the best of her. She looked around at the pile of things on the bed. Her things, gifts from him. She picked out a baby t-shirt and yoga type sweatpants. She looked at the panties and bras he had picked out. They were nice, expensive. She picked out a pair of pink panties and white bra and ran into the bathroom to change.

'Thank Merlin' she thought as she threw the robes and underwear she had been wearing into the hamper. She pulled on the comfy clothes and pulled her long hair into a high ponytail. Then she walked back into the bedroom and sat on the couch. When he returned, she looked fresh and happy. She motioned for him to come sit. And he did.

"I am so sorry Hermione." he said guiltily. "I shouldn't have done that." his face was red. She looked into his beautiful silver eyes. Her heart was confused. She liked the kiss, it was the best one she had ever had. But she was still married, and though she didn't love Steven, vows still meant something.

"It's okay, really." and a second later she realized that he had called her Hermione, not Granger. She giggled.

"What?" he asked.

"You called me Hermione. It was just funny I guess." she laughed some more.

"Well that is your name isn't it?" he smirked at her very amused.

"Yeah, but usually you call me Granger." her smiled widened.

"Well, that's not your name anymore either is it?" he said quietly. "Anyway, why don't you pick a game? Dinner won't be ready for almost an hour."

She walked over to the bed and picked up Scrabble. They played for the remainder of the hour, Hermione won. Draco said the game was rigged and wanted to play something else. Just then their dinner arrived and she ate hungrily. They had prime rib and twice baked potatoes. Some mixed veggies on the side and a tossed salad completed the dinner. He also poured her some red wine. By the time they were done, she was very full and glad she was wearing stretchy pants.

"I get to pick the next game." he said, walking over to the pile and picking up 'Truth or Dare' with an evil grin. She groaned.

"Come on, it will be fun." he set up the board. It consisted of two rows of spaces. Every time you did a dare, or told the truth you moved up a square. You read the questions off of little cards. They put their pieces on the board and Draco went first.

"I pick truth." he said.

"Okay" she read "What was your most embarrassing moment?"

He thought for a moment. That was a hard one.

"Okay, honestly it was when Moody turned me into a ferret." his face was red from just thinking of it. She broke into a fit of giggles.

"Okay, you get to move up one." she said.

"Alright, stop laughing. Your turn."

"I pick truth as well."

"Okay. What is your favorite color? Man that was a boring one." he pitched the card onto the pile.

"Blue" she replied, delighted in such an easy question.

"Truth." he said again

"Have you ever been in love?"

"I don't want to answer that." he said.

"If you don't answer, you have to do the dare, and I will make it good." she grinned an evil grin.

"Alright, no I haven't been in love yet." he smirked disapprovingly. "Your turn."

"Truth again please." hoping for another easy question.

"Who was your first kiss?"

She sighed heavily.

"Ron" she answered wrinkling her nose at the thought.

"That bad huh?" he said half laughing.

"Moving on, your turn."

"Dare." he raised an eyebrow to shake things up a little bit.

"Okay, I want you to sing a song, your choice." she said giggling

"I don't know any songs." he replied

"You must know one, think."

"No, I don't, think of another dare."

"Ok, put on my nightgown and run around the manor." she said falling into a fit of giggles. As he made a vomiting noise.

"Okay, okay." he walked over to the pile of clothes still on the bed and stripped off his shirt. He threw the gown on and walked in front of her.

"How do I look?" he asked trying to keep a straight face. Her stomach hurt from giggling so hard.

"Great, very sexy." she replied between giggles.

He opened the door and ran down the hall. She peeked her head out to make sure he wasn't cheating. He ran down the stairs and back up and back into his room. He took off the gown, but left his shirt off.

"Hot." he said panting and fanning himself. "Your turn."

"Truth." she said again. He made a motion like a chicken, but read the question anyway.

"Who gave you your best kiss?" he read, placing the card down on the pile.

"It does not say that." she said irritated.

"Yes it does, see here." he handed her the card. Her eyes scanned it before she threw it down again.

"I am not answering that." she said flatly.

"Ok, then I get to think of a dare!" he said rubbing his hands together evilly.

"Ok, never mind I will answer."

He waited for the answer like a school girl hearing more gossip.

"You." she said looking down at the floor.

"What?" he said, thinking he misheard.

"I said you." her face was flushed "your turn." she whispered,

"Truth."

"What is the biggest regret of your life?" she read.

"That is a tough one, but I would have to say that it was not making more friends when I was younger." his mind was still on her answer. Had she really said he had been her best kiss? His head was swelling with pride. "Okay, your turn."

"Truth."

"Are you ever going to pick dare?"

"No." she mused.

"Who was your biggest crush?" he read.

"Oh, Merlin. Uh…let me see…I think my biggest one was Harry when we were younger. But I got over it quickly." she blushed a deep red. Draco laughed at this. Not like that was any big secret. "Your turn." she said.

"Truth."

"What is your favorite food?"

"Strawberries and clotted cream." he said licking his lips.

"Truth." she said again.

"Come on, you have to pick dare once."

"Nope" she smiled.

"Okay, then can I make up my own question?" she nodded in agreement.

"If I tried to kiss you again, would you let me?" he was very close to her on the sofa.

She bit her lip nervously, and then nodded. In a split second his lips were on hers, warm and inviting. She reached over and ran her hand through his hair. She knew it was wrong, but she was starved for affection. His kisses burned her body, and he ran his tongue over her mouth. She opened it slightly letting his in. moments later he broke the kiss. Her face was flushed, and he was afraid if he didn't stop, he wouldn't be able to. His pale face was pink, and he was having a hard time catching his breath.

"Your turn." she said.

"Dare."

"I dare you to do that again." her lips invited him once again, and he obliged. Her tiny body pressed up against his. And her hands ran up and down his spine creating goosebumps on his skin. Her heart beat fast and hard, and her eyes stared into his silvery blue ones. He was so beautiful. She could lay here with him forever and never feel scared again. She pulled back a moment later, his eyes were on fire and she needed to stop before they went any further.

"Your turn" he said but she got up to go into the bathroom. She turned on the water and splashed some on her face. She had never in her life felt that kind of passion, that kind of wanting. She needed to regain her composure before facing him again. It was getting late, maybe she would suggest they turn in early. Oh but Merlin did he taste good. How would she forget that moment?

"Draco, would you hand me that gown?" she said sticking her hand out the bathroom door.

He handed it to her, and she slipped out of her clothes and pulled it down over her head. It smelled like his body. She inhaled deeply before returning to the bedroom.

"Would you mind if we played more tomorrow, I am tired." it was barely 9pm.

"Sure" he said. "Do you want me to lay with you." she nodded.

He lay next to her, trying to get the memory of that kiss out of his mind. She had felt so soft, and she admitted he was her best kiss. He smiled at that thought before he pulled off his pants and was now wearing only his boxers. It was a warm night. She lay next to him, silently breathing. Her mind was racing. She would like nothing more than to kiss him into the wee hours of the morning. She looked out the window into the clear moonlit night. She felt him stirring next to her, before resting his arm around her waist. She relaxed and fell asleep.


	7. Pansy's Discovery

Disclaimer; I own nothing!

A/N Hi all! Here is the next chapter. It is a bit longer than the others, so I hope everyone likes it. Happy Reading and enjoy! Don't forget to review.

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**Pansy's discovery**

Weeks had passed since Hermione came to Malfoy manner. Draco was still in contact with Harry, but in the last letter he had said it was becoming very risky. Apparently, Hermione's husband had some clout with the ministry; he was in every other day ranting about her disappearance. The whole ministry was on alert. Harry had apologized for the extreme inconvenience and promised to stop by soon. Although Draco didn't mind her company, it was still quite annoying being stuck in the house for almost a month straight. Hermione was wearing on his nerves to be quite honest. She had been distant since the night he kissed her, he figured it was guilt or whatever, and left her to work out her own issues. It was hard to be this close to someone, with no physical contact. He was after all a very physical being by nature. He decided it was time for him to get out of the house for a while. Even just to go shopping.

"I'm going to run to the market, want anything?" she shook her head no. "Okay, be back later."

He ran down the stairs and into his car before driving off down the lonely country lane. He had the top down and his hair blew freely. It felt like heaven. He sped off towards London not really knowing where he was headed to. Just glad to be out for a little while.

Hermione sat in front of the fire reading and picking at the chocolates he bought her last trip to the market. Boredom was kicking in, but she kept in good spirits. Suddenly she head footsteps nearing the bedroom. He probably forgot something, so she ignored it. The door lock turned, and she barely looked up. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw not Draco, but a woman. Short dark hair and dark eyes. She was scantily dressed and didn't notice Hermione right off. She watched the woman smooth out the bed, sprinkling rose petals onto the satiny duvet. She began to take off her button up blouse and skirt. Hermione's ears went red. She did not want to witness this girl naked.

"Hem, hem…" she coughed, bringing the girl's attention to her.

"AHHHHHHH" the woman screamed, covering herself with her hands before grabbing the clothes she had previously discarded. Hermione found this very amusing. She watched in amusement as the girl scrambled to put her clothes back on.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" the woman asked breathlessly.

"I think I should be asking the same of you." Hermione said suspiciously.

"I am Pansy, Draco's fiancée'." she said boastfully.

"Draco's what?" Hermione asked. She then realized who this girl was. It was Pansy Parkinson, from school. She lowered her head in horror, hoping Pansy would not recognize her since her picture had been all over the news.

"Fiancée. You know, we are engaged." her voice had become very harsh.

"Well, he is not here. I will tell him you dropped by." she lowered her head back to her book, but that didn't deter Pansy.

"Hey, wait one minute. What are you doing in my fiancée's room? Who are you?" she was walking closer. Hermione started to panic.

"Never mind, just leave." she said quietly.

"You were in the paper…didn't you go to Hogwart's? Aren't you Hermione Granger?" she shouted.

"No" she wasn't lying. Her last name was Shanly.

"Yes you are. You are the one that everyone is searching for. What in the hell are you doing here?" she screamed.

"That is between me and Draco." she said knowing it would annoy her.

"Why you little bitch. Thought you could have a little fun with my man did you? I am owling the ministry at once." she was red from ear to ear. And with that she stormed out the door, leaving it unlocked.

'Shit' Hermione thought. Pansy knew. The ministry would be swooping down on her at any moment. She decided to do the only thing she knew to do. Owl Harry. She opened the window and called for Draco's owl. In the meantime she wrote a note to Harry explaining what had happened. As soon as his owl arrived she sent the note off. She had no way of getting a hold of Draco. What if they came while he was gone and drug her back to Steven? She would be dead, that was it. He would kill her when he found out she had been in hiding. She started to cry, thinking of his fists against her head and face again. She had been all to content being here, hidden away in safety. Her breaths became short and irregular as she thought of all the ways she would be punished. And now Draco and Harry would be in trouble too. Harry would probably be fired, and maybe Draco would be sent to Azkaban. She couldn't bear the thought of turning both of their lives upside down. Maybe she could run, keep them out of it. Just then Draco's owl appeared at the window with a reply from Harry.

_Hermione or Draco, _

_Pansy Parkinson just appeared at the ministry claiming she found you hiding in Draco's room. The ministry is sending officials, including me to the manor. If Draco is not there by the time you get this, grab all of your stuff and hide it out of the way. Then go and find a hiding spot IN DRACO'S ROOM. I will be the one searching that room since it is my case. I will assign others to search the grounds and remainder of the manor. Make sure you lock the bedroom door as well. We are trying to discredit her, but Steven is insisting on searching the manor anyway. He also wants to come with us. I have told him no, in case there is danger. Hide quickly and toss this letter into the fire._

_Harry_

She read this quickly and did as she was told. The letter was tossed and burned. She grabbed her clothes and hid them at the bottom of the hamper. Her candies were hid under the mattress, and moments later she heard a commotion outside on the front lawn. Quickly, she opened the closet door and got inside. Beyond the hundreds of pairs of shoes was a small crawlspace. She carefully opened the door. It was barely big enough for her to fit, but she squeezed her small body into it, pulling the door closed behind her. Her heart was racing, and she heard footsteps bombarding the manor. She heard Harry's voice commanding some of the other Aurors.

"You search the bedrooms in that wing, Jones, you search the first floor. Brock you search the kitchen and basement. You there, search the grounds. You can question the house-elves and Mrs. Malfoy. I will search the rooms in this wing." his footsteps and voice got closer and closer. She heard the lock open and him screaming for her to come out. She was breathing as quietly as she could, but her heart was beating loudly. He walked near the closet and yelled;

"Is anyone here?" she didn't answer. "Good Job Hermione" she heard his whisper. He walked away from the closet doors and rummaged through different things. She heard him leave and close the door behind him. She didn't dare come out yet though. Next, she heard Mrs. Malfoy yelling. It must have been quite a shock for her to be raided by the ministry in the middle of the afternoon. It seemed like an eternity shoved into that cubby space. She felt as if she was running out of air. She was not sure how long she had been in there and she must have dozed off because she awoke with a start to Draco screaming at the top of his lungs.

"I will see the minister of magic about this!" he screamed. "That little hussy Pansy was upset because I dumped her, and I don't know where she concocted this story, but you have searched my home, now you can leave." he stormed upstairs and she heard the lock turn. She hesitated to exit her hiding spot until she was sure who it was.

"Granger? Where are you?" he half whispered. She crawled out of the tiny space, sweating and full of cobwebs.

"Here." she croaked as she dusted the webs out of her hair.

"Oh my gods, when I saw the ministry at my house I almost…well I was worried about you." he said sincerely.

"Good thing Harry took care of everything." she said. "I owled him right away, and he told me to hide my things and myself in here." her whole body was cramped up from being confined to that tight space for the last 2 hours.

"What happened exactly?" he said with a worried face.

"Well," she started, "I was sitting there reading when I heard the lock turn. I slunk down on the couch and saw Pansy getting your bed ready, throwing rose petals and undressing. I coughed a little so she wouldn't show me all her merchandise and she screamed. Then she recognized me. She said she was your fiancée, is that true?"

"No, we were betrothed, but I broke it off a week or so before you came here. She annoyed me." he said honestly.

"Well, she screamed that I was trying to take her man, and that she was going to report me to the ministry. As soon as she left I got up and owled Harry, he owled back telling me to hide my belongings and hide somewhere in your room since he would be personally searching it. I hid in the crawlspace behind your shoes, by the way why do you have so many shoes?"

He laughed.

"Anyway, I heard them searching, and your mum yelling. And that's about it." without realizing it she started to take off her dirty shirt. He looked at her amused.

"So right to it then eh?" motioning towards her bra, which was now exposed.

She grabbed her shirt and covered herself before retreating to the bath, a violent shade of red. She pulled off the rest of her clothing and retrieved the ones she hid from the hamper, and then turned on the shower. Stepping in she felt the hot water cover her body. She washed her long hair and then her body. She looked down at it. For the first time in years it looked normal, healthy, like her old self. There were no bruises or cuts marring its creamy beauty. You could no longer see her ribs or hip bones. She turned off the water and stepped out picking up a fluffy towel. As she dried herself she couldn't help but thinking about Draco. He had been so nice to her, but since that kiss weeks ago she had been short with him. She wanted to kiss him, but her mind and body were conflicted. She pulled on a blue tank top, white panties and white drawstring shorts. No bra with the tank top as it would show. She ran a brush through her hair before returning to the bedroom. He was sitting on the bed looking at his purchases, more shoes. She couldn't help but giggle.

"Have you ever thought about something like 'shoes anonymous?'? I think you have a problem." she smiled at him and he returned that smile.

"I just like them." he said sheepishly, putting them into the closet where she was previously hidden.

"So, how was London?' she asked, wishing she could get out of this room for a while.

"Fine, felt good to get out." he replied, quickly realizing that he was very tactless.

"I see." she said wishing she would not have asked.

"Any plans for tonight?" she asked him.

"No, I got reamed by Potter for leaving you here." he said bitterly. "I am supposed to stay with you from now on."

"Sorry" she said quietly.

"Not your fault."

"What do you want to do tonight?" she asked.

"I don't know, but staying in here is driving me nuts." he flopped on the bed and stared up at the canopy.

"You can go out, I won't tell Harry."

"No, I need to keep you safe. You were almost caught today."

"I don't want you to give up your life to save mine. Just go."

"Just forget it ok? Want to play a game?"

"No, go out and have fun. You are young; I bet lots of girls would love to have a go with you."

He laughed.

"Yeah, there is a line around the block of funny, smart, beautiful women."

"No, really. I will be fine." she sat on the couch and picked up a book she had read five times already.

He laid there thinking. There must be some way he could get out and keep an eye on her too. Then he had an idea. Harry would be pissed, but they both were getting cabin fever being cooped up in this room for that long.

"I have an idea Granger." he said sitting up suddenly.

"What?" she looked up from her book.

"Let's both go out." he said smiling from ear to ear.

"How? People will see me."

He sat there a moment and said

"Hold on, let me check something." and he bolted out of the room.

Moments passed and he returned with a cup of something.

"What is that?" she asked. She looked closer and thought it looked like Polyjuice potion, but it was a slight shade of green more.

"Well, it's a morphing potion. It's kind of like Polyjuice potion, but it lasts for 8 hours. Before my father was caught, he was running around as someone else. He had loads of it stored in the cellar, we just left it there. Now we just need to find something to help you morph." he looked around the room. All that was in this house was his mother's things. Then a light bulb went off in his head. Pansy had been here.

"Granger, help me look on the bed. See any dark hairs?" he held his lit wand high looking for a single hair. None were found on his side.

"Here," she said pulling a single strand off of the bed post and handing it to him.

He added it to the cup and it sizzled and sparked before turning a nauseating shade of pink.

"Bottoms up." he said handing her the cup. She wrinkled her nose at it, sniffing the foaming cup.

"Here goes." she said before downing the entire contents of the cup. She felt strange. Of course she knew what Polyjuice potion felt like having taken it when she was 13. But this was different. It ran down her throat and burned it. She choked and ran into the bathroom, she felt like she was going to be sick. She felt her bones shortening, and her chest enlarging. Her long hair shrunk to her ears and turned midnight black. Her nose shortened and turned upward slightly like a pug. By the time she crawled to the mirror it was such a shock that she almost fainted. She felt her face, and hair, and chest. It was truly weird. She made her way to the bathroom door and when she emerged Draco let out a gasp.

"Oh my gods." was all he could get out.

"I look like a slut." she said looking down at her huge breasts. She was not used to them. She jumped up and down a little watching them bounce.

"Are these real?" she asked Draco, who was completely entranced by them.

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"I mean these can't be her real boobs, did she have them, uh, enhanced?" she giggled.

"I don't know, enhanced how?" his eyes never left her chest.

"Oh Merlin." she sighed. "So now what? I don't have any clothes that will fit this, uh, new body."

"Let me see if Pansy left anything in the spare room." he ran into the hall and returned minutes later holding a tiny pleated skirt, white button up shirt, black tank top, and thigh high boots.

"I am NOT wearing that." she said in horror.

"That's all there is." he said. "Besides, that is how Pansy dresses, if you want to pass for her, well here you go." he handed her the clothes.

"Alright." she murmured as she went back into the bathroom and put the clothes on.

'No bra' she thought 'I will probably knock myself out with them' she giggled to herself.

She pulled the tank top on first, and put on some black panties to match. The skirt fit perfectly and then she put on the white shirt, buttoning it all the way to the top. She pulled on the boots which made her look much taller. Running a brush through her now short hair was a weird experience. She looked at herself. Pansy was staring at her from the mirror, but something wasn't right. She unbuttoned the shirt halfway down exposing her chest. That was better. Draco knocked on the door.

"here." he said shoving a small bag at her. When she opened it she found some makeup. She didn't know if it was Pansy's or his mothers. Both thoughts mortified her, but she had seen Pansy and she wore lots of makeup. She took out the black eyeliner and tried to put it on straight. It was hard and she had never worn eyeliner. Next she applied liberal amounts of blush and mascara. She was looking more and more like Pansy now. Finally she finished it with bright red lipstick. There, she was done. When she walked back into the bedroom, Draco was pulling on his shoes. (Black Italian leather) he looked up and saw Hermione, looking so much like Pansy that her own mother would have swore it was Pansy.

"Wow, you look…" he broke off.

"Like a hooker?" she finished for him.

"No, but no one will suspect it is you." he smiled. She returned that smile.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they left the bedroom for the first time in over a month.

"A club in muggle London." he replied as they walked down the stairs to the entry hall. Just then he spied his mother coming out of the sitting room. He whispered 'make your voice higher' before walking over to her.

"Mother, Pansy and I are going out. See you tomorrow." he nodded at her.

"Hello Pansy darling, I am surprised to see you back here after that fiasco earlier." her eyes narrowed as she ran her eyes up and down Hermione.

"I didn't mean any harm by it." Hermione squeaked in such a good Pansy imitation Draco was taken aback. "I was just trying to get back at Drakie for ditching me. I didn't think the ministry would get involved." she giggled madly and batted her long eyelashes.

"Well, darling that was quite enough of that." his mother said before retreating to the sitting room once more.

Draco grabbed her arm and drug her out of the front doors and into his car.

"That was bloody brilliant.' he said, smile beaming at her. "If I didn't know better…" he said winking.

"Thank you Drakie." she laughed. She threw that in to make it more realistic. He scowled at that nickname. They sped off down the dusty country lane towards the sparkling city lights. She inhaled the fresh air deeply, being confined to that bedroom for weeks was getting on her nerves. She was grateful, but still wanted to get out, if only for tonight. Half an hour later they pulled into a street and into a lot. He parked the car and got out to open her door for her. She looked up.

"This isn't a club." she stated.

"I know, I thought we would have dinner first." he opened the restaurant door for her, and went inside.

They ate a pleasant dinner together before heading off to the club. Hermione was very excited. She had never been to a club, even before she was married she was too busy studying to be a healer, and after, well Steven never took her anywhere, not out to dinner, no where. They pulled into the parking lot and she could see the flashing neon lights from the club. He opened the door for her and held her arm up to the club. She saw him slip the doorman some money so they could skip ahead of the line. When they walked in she was overcome. It was loud, smoky, and lights flashed from every direction. He led her over to a table where she set her bag.

"What do you want to drink?" he yelled over the loud music.

"Anything, what would Pansy drink?"

"Ok, you asked for it." he strolled over to the bar and returned moments later with a huge pink drink, foaming at the top with a cutsie pink umbrella stuck in it. She looked at that drink and laughed, but she took a sip and it was quite good.

"Draco, I just thought of something," she said leaning into his ear.

"What?"

"What if Pansy shows up here?" she asked worriedly looking around.

"She wont." he stated.

"How do you know?"

"She doesn't come to muggle clubs. Thinks they are beneath her."

"Oh" she took another sip of her drink. He slammed down 2 shots of whiskey in a row.

"Let's dance!" he said happily grabbing her arm and dragging her onto the crowded floor. She shook her head trying to tell him no, but her persisted. She felt awkward, never having danced before. She tried imitating the others around her, but to her horror they were grinding into each other, bodies close together. She blushed. Draco was dancing in front of her making no move to pull her in, and that was fine with her. She moved her body awkwardly until the song ended. A slow song came on and she headed for the table, but felt her arm being pulled back.

"Come on, you are supposed to be Pansy." he winked.

She felt very uncomfortable as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and she put hers up around his neck, which was hard since she was quite a bit shorter than he was. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his rapid heart beat. He was nervous, she giggled to herself again. They slowly danced together, with the rhythm of the music. But for the fact that she looked like Pansy, she was having the time of her life. The song ended, and they sat back down at the table.

"Having a good time?" he asked her. She nodded, sipping her drink. Suddenly Draco's face fell.

"What the…?"


	8. Clubbing

Disclaimer: I dont own Harry Potter, must I keep saying this?

A/N Hi all, here is your update! I got so many reviews my inbox was full. Maybe I should leave chapters at cliffhangers all the time. wink ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading and dont foget to review.

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Clubbing

Hermione looked at Draco as if he had a bird on his head.

"What's the matter?" she asked him. His face was frozen in an angry sort of way.

'Oh my gods' she thought 'Pansy must be here.'

"Is it Pansy?" she whispered. He shook his head no.

"Stay here." he said sternly. She nodded.

Draco stood up and walked over to the bar. He stood next to the tall man and ordered a drink. He looked up and was staring into the eyes of Steven Shanlywhotook no notice of him; he was chatting and flirting with a pretty blonde who was seated next to him. She was batting her eyelashes and running her hand along his arm. Draco had a sudden surge of anger. He tapped the man on the arm.

"Hey man, can I help you?" Steven said.

"Yeah, I saw your picture in the paper, isn't your wife missing?" Draco said loud enough for the blonde to hear.

"Uh, yeah. Bugger off." he returned his attention to the blonde.

"Shouldn't you be looking for her instead of trying to pick up a date?" his voice was seething.

"Mind your business mate." he said in an annoyed way. Draco picked up his drink and went back to the table.

"We should go." he said to Hermione.

"Why? What is the matter?"

He didn't want to tell her, it would probably hurt her. He glanced back up to the bar and saw Steven leading the girl onto the dance floor. He sighed heavily.

"Look Granger, I don't want to spoil our night, but your husband is here."

Her face froze in fear. She looked around startled.

"Where?" she whispered.

He hung his head and motioned towards the dance floor; she turned her head and saw Steven grinding on some young blonde thing. She turned her head away again, tears filing her eyes.

"Lets go." he said.

"No."

"Come on, it is too risky."

"I don't look like myself, and I am having fun. To hell with him." she took Draco's whiskey and downed it in one gulp.

"Let's dance." she said to him, pulling him on the floor. She positioned them near Steven and the blonde, but not too close. Brazenly, she pulled Draco into a close stance and moved her hips against his. He looked at her; he could see Hermione inside of that façade. She was smiling. He wrapped his arms around her waist, moving his hands down her skirt, feeling her. He could feel himself getting slightly turned on by her seductive movements. She looked at him in a way she never thought she could. They danced closer to Steven and his partner. She caught Steven's attention and winked at him. He smiled his old charming smile back at her. Giggling to herself she licked her lips at him, making him take notice of her. And when she had his full attention she returned her gaze to Draco. Boldly, she pulled him down into a passionate kiss. His hands roamed up her short skirt. Her tongue pressed on his lips, asking for entry. He opened his mouth and her tongue pushed its way in. She felt shocked at her own boldness, and a twinge of guilt. Not for cheating on her husband, or soon to be ex, but for using Draco in this way. Not that he looked like he minded. He too was glancing over at Steven. In his own mind this was the sweetest revenge. Kissing his wife right in front of him. His beautiful eyes sparkled in the flashing lights as he kissed her back, and pulled her body closer to his. When she finally broke the kiss, he looked at her in a different way. This was not the simple brushing of lips, or the sweet kisses they had weeks ago. She cocked her head back and looked at Steven again. His mouth was slightly ajar, and she winked at him again. He pulled the blonde off of the floor and back to the bar. She laughed. He was unnerved. She thought he might have seen a glimpse of her inside of this body, and it frightened him. Draco pulled her back to him and continued to dance slowly with her. She turned her full attention back to him and continued their dance. When the song was over they went back to the table for another drink.

"No more of those frilly drinks, bring me something with some kick to it." she said to him, and he smiled back as he strolled back to the bar. Steven was still there, but the blonde was no where to be seen.

"Two tequila's please." he said to the bartender. The man poured two glasses and handed them to Draco.

"Quite a little spitfire you have there." a voice said to Draco from behind.

"Excuse me?" he said back.

"Your girl. She looks like a lot of fun." Steven smiled at Draco in an odd sort of way.

"Uh, yeah she is."

"She come here much?"

"With me."

"You guys have a thing?"

"Don't you have a wife to be finding?" Draco yelled, annoyed at this jerk.

"Hey, a man has needs." he said swallowing his drink in one big gulp.

"You are disgusting." Draco said, turning back to the table. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What did you say to me?"

"I said you were disgusting. You have a wife and you are out looking for a quick shag? What kind of man are you?" Draco spat.

"Look, it's none of your business. I only asked about your little hussy over there because she was sending me signals out there on the dance floor. So maybe you should reel your bitch in."

Wrong thing to say. And without another word Draco punched him in the nose, sending blood flying and the bouncer over quick as a flash. Steven stood up, nose gushing blood. He was holding it, trying to control the blood flow. The bouncer was holding Draco back.

"You asshole, look what you did." Steven yelled.

"You deserved it. No one calls her names. She deserves better than that. And your wife deserves better than you." he struggled against the big bouncer before being thrown out of the club.

Hermione saw the commotion and walked towards the arguing pair. She saw Draco being drug out of the club and took this opportunity to pass by Steven. His nose was still bleeding, and he was holding a napkin to it. He looked at her as she passed by, and she couldn't resist saying something to him.

"Awww… what happened?" she said in her whiniest Pansy voice.

"Your man attacked me. Unprovoked." he spat.

"Your beautiful face, look what happened." she had to control her laughing. She had always wanted to see him hurting in the same way her hurt her.

"Want to come home with me and nurse me back to health?" he said in his most charming way.

She walked over to him and ran her hand across his face. She had once loved him. Now she had nothing but contempt for him.

"I don't shag losers." she said, and the words smacked him right in the face. There was pep in her step as she walked out the door. Draco was waiting for her outside, his hand was bruised. She took his hand in hers and kissed it lightly.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

"Had some final business with Steven." she replied, before breaking into laughter again. "That was a nice shot."

"He deserved it. He was hitting on every woman in the place and wanted me to hook him up with you." he opened the door for her and she stepped into the car.

He got behind the wheel and started to drive home. The night air blew across their faces. She thought of that moment over and over in her mind. Steven bleeding, nose broken. Brilliant. By the time they arrived at the manor she felt as if a new chapter to her life had begun. The chapter with Steven was closing. She was going to owl Harry and tell him to file divorce papers on her behalf. Divorce was hard to obtain in the wizarding world. She would have to go in front of the council and prove a good reason for the divorce. Harry and Draco would surely testify on her behalf. As they climbed the steps up to Draco's room she realized how much her feet hurt from those boots. When they got into the room she sat on the bed and pulled off the boots. Her tiny feet were red.

'How on earth does Pansy wear these all the time?' she wondered. Draco was silently healing his hand over on the couch. She sighed heavily. Once she filed for divorce she supposed it would be okay for her to find her own place. She walked over to the couch and sat down.

"I had a great time tonight. Thank you." she said to him.

"Your welcome. I'm sorry my fighting cut it short."

"It's okay, my feet were killing me." she laughed. "I need to tell you something."

"I already know." he said.  
"You do?"

"Yes, I know you only kissed me to make him jealous." he had a note of bitterness in his voice.

"Well yes, but no." she blushed. He raised his eyebrow at her, listening intently on her answer.

"At first that was why I kissed you." she said "but after a minute or so, I forgot all about him. But that is not what I was going to tell you. I have decided to file for divorce."

"Oh" he said. "Does that mean you are leaving?"

"Well, yes, but I don't know when. I will have to have a hearing, and I was hoping you would testify on my behalf."

"Sure" he said, heart sinking. He didn't know what he was feeling at the moment, but he didn't like it.

"I shouldn't have used you like that. I am sorry." she said, looking into the fire.

"No, its alright." he lied.

"It's not alright. I am an emotional wreck right now. It was too easy to kiss you to make myself feel better, and it wasn't right." her stomach was in knots over this. Why?

"I understand. I am going to take a shower." he said standing up, not looking back at her. She still looked like Pansy, but her eyes shouted Hermione. The eight hours would be up soon he hoped. It was conflicting looking at her the way she was. His body hit the shower, but instead of hot water, he turned it to cool. Grinding with her out on the dance floor had been an intoxicating experience. And that kiss, gods he needed to forget that. The cool water ran down his body, reaching his waist and traveling down his legs. He closed his eyes, but all he could see was her. He pounded his fists on the wall. He had never had such emotion before about a woman, and he knew he could never have her. He ended the shower abruptly, and dried himself with a towel.

Meanwhile, Hermione was slowly changing back into herself. Her hair had lengthened out, and she grew taller. It had been a lot of fun going out to the club, she didn't relish being Pansy, but it was worth it to see Steven writhing in pain. And she had really enjoyed kissing Draco. It was passionate, and wonderful. His hands had roamed up her short skirt, and she had felt a familiar stirring in her loins. It had been a while since she felt that, and she realized that she missed it. All Steven ever cared about was his own needs, never hers. Before they were married he brought her to orgasm every time, making sure she was completely satisfied before he finished. After marriage though, she hadn't had one since. Maybe Draco would let her use him once more, she giggled at the thought, but felt guilty immediately after for thinking of using him again. She pulled off the shirt and skirt, but left the tank and panties on. It was hot in the room. She lay on top of the covers, trying not to think of those feelings, when he emerged from the bathroom.

"Its all yours if you want it." he said casually. He was still in only a towel.

She shook her head no.

"I forgot my clothes, sorry." he said grabbing a pair of shorts from his drawer, before darting back to the bathroom. When he came out again, he wore only some green boxers.

"Its warm in here isn't it?" she nodded at him. He opened the window and let a cool breeze flow in. he dimmed the candles and the fire before lying on the couch to sleep. She looked at him, he had been lying with her since the first night she came to his house.

'Something wrong?" she asked him.

"No. why?"

"Why are you sleeping over there?"

"Well, if you are getting a divorce, you will eventually have to sleep alone right?"

"I guess."

"Well, you should get used to it." he lay back down on the couch. His words cut through her heart. She knew she would have to get used to it. He didn't have to tell her that. But tonight, well tonight she just didn't want to be alone.

"Oh, alright." she said, her voice cracked, letting on that she was on the verge of crying. He heard that and felt a twinge in his heart. He didn't want to sleep on the couch; he wanted to lay with her, hold her. But unfortunately it wouldn't stop there for him. He wanted to make love to her in the worst way. He wanted to smell her skin, taste it. His groin stirred with these thoughts, and he tried to push them to the back of his mind. The sound of the wind blowing through the open window was interrupted by soft sniffles coming from the region of his bed. She was crying. He tried to lay there and go to sleep, but he just couldn't listen to her cry and not go to her. He stood up and walked to the bed, sitting on the opposite end.

"You okay?"

"Fine." she sniffed.

"What's the matter, you still aren't thinking of him are you?"

"No"

"Then what?"

"Its nothing." she said again, clearing her voice. "I just have to get used to it, you are right."

"I didn't say it to be mean. I just can't lay with you tonight."

"Why?" she wept again.

"It's complicated."

"Ok." she said, turning her back to him and laying down.

He felt awful. His stomach was churning and his heart felt like someone was sitting on it. He heard her tears falling softly. Sighing, he touched her forearm.

"It's not what you think." he told her. "It's me. I'm not sure what I am feeling."

She sat back up and looked at him with teary eyes.

"I know that kiss didn't mean anything to you, but I felt something, and it scared me." he admitted to her. "If I sleep next to you, well, I don't know how I would react. Does that make sense?" She nodded.

"Alright, are you okay?" she nodded. He stood up and started back towards the couch.

"Draco."

He looked back and in a flash she stood up and ran towards him. She pushed her lips against his, falling softly into his arms.


	9. Breathing life into her

**Disclaimer; I own nothing :(**

**A/N The story goes rated M in this chapter so if you are not into reading that, move on. Other than that I hope you all like it. Happy reading and don't forget to review!**

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Breathing life into her

His arms instinctively wrapped around her small body, pulling her next to his bare chest. She kissed his pink lips furiously, running her tongue along his lower lip. His pale eyes reflected silver in the pale moonlight of the room. She didn't really know what she was doing, all she knew is she wanted to kiss him forever. Her hands ran up to his blonde locks, messing up his wet hair. He grabbed both sides of her face, pulling it as close as he could. He walked forward forcing her to walk backward until her knees hit the bed. She fell back and he fell on top of her, his full weight pressing up against her. He felt a stirring in his shorts. He wanted this so much, but not at the expense of her sanity.

"Is this what you want?" he whispered in her ear, sending goosebumps up her body. She bit her lip, not knowing what to say. She nodded her head for him to continue. He ran one finger down her chest and stomach to her waist, finding his mark and rubbing it lightly. She moaned and squirmed under his touch, telling him she was in need. And he was happy to fulfill that need for her. He rubbed harder, inside her scant panties, while kissing her and licking her lips. Her backed arched to his motions. She had been neglected for so long the attention was driving her to the brink and back. Her hands ran along his pale smooth skin, feeling his spine and back muscles as he sucked on her neck and collarbone. She let out a small gasp as he nibbled her skin. It was driving her crazy, she could feel herself becoming wet and ready for him. Is this what he wanted? She didn't want him to think she was just using him again. She brought her lips to his ear.

"Is this what you want?" she breathed into his mind. Her words clung to him.

"Hermione, I have never wanted anything more in my life." and with that his mouth plunged down on hers, taking her breath away. She felt lightheaded and her body melted into his. Soon his hands were tugging at her panties. He yanked them off and tossed them across the room. She raised her arms over her head and he relieved her of her tank top. He pressed his bare chest against hers; he could feel her heart beating under her pale skin. Her breaths rose and fell with his as his lips moved over hers once more. He kissed down to her smooth breasts, kissing each one softly before sucking on her nipple. Pale pink, they stood up erect to his touch. He kissed farther down to her flat stomach. You could no longer see her ribs, but it was still flat and smooth. Even farther down he kissed her thighs, and smelled her sweet skin. His hormones were in overdrive.

"You smell so good…" he told her between kisses. She just moaned to his every touch.

His lips met hers as his hot breath could be felt on her thighs. She slowly parted her legs; letting his tongue in. he kissed her softly, making circles with his tongue. She arched her back into his touch, making him kiss and suck harder.

"Oh gods…Draco…oh" she moaned, digging her nails into the sheets. He smiled at her moaning, and worked harder to make it continue. Soon she was short of breath, heart racing and mind soaring. He licked his lips before returning to her face, kissing her long and deep. She tasted herself on his lips, and licked them playfully. She had just had the most intense orgasm of her life. She felt alive and free. He lay on top of her, kissing and touching her in places she forgot existed. Moments later he pulled off his shorts and her legs parted to let him in. she instantly came as he slid into her. He was quite a bit larger than she was accustomed to, but it felt like heaven. Not like the monotonous sex she had with her husband. This was raw, animal lust. She needed him. And to her surprise, he seemed to need her just as bad. He pumped in and out of her, bringing her to orgasm again and again. She ran her hands along his back, lightly scratching his skin with her nails. He let out a small moan. She looked deep into his eyes, they were sparkling pools of indigo blue, and when the moonlight hit them waves of silver splashed upon the shore. His full pink lips smiled at her, and she reached up and touched them with her fingers. She grabbed both sides of his face and pulled it closer to hers plunging her tongue into his waiting mouth. He groaned and moved his hips harder against hers. This sudden plunge drove her into another intense orgasm. Her heart seemed to stop beating for just a moment, but then she caught her breath and screamed out his name.

He looked intently into her eyes, moving faster and faster and enjoying the look of pure bliss on her face. He couldn't hold back much longer. His face screwed up as he came inside of her trembling body. He collapsed on top of her breathless body, panting and sweating, laying his head into her long hair. She caught her breath quickly and ran her hands down his back. Her head rested on top of his and they lay there like that for a while. He finally rolled over to the space next to her and wrapped his arms protectively around her waist. She looked up at the canopy of the bed, contemplating what she had just done. She smiled before falling asleep wrapped in his arms.

She awoke late the next day, he had spooned her all night. His naked body inches from hers. She had enjoyed it immensely, but was worried about spending the day with him. She didn't want him to think all she wanted to do was shag now. It was a spur of the moment thing. A one night stand. She was careful not to wake him as she got up to use the bathroom and shower. She turned the shower on, letting it get nice and hot before she stepped in. the water ran over her body, loosening her muscles which were quite sore. She washed her long hair before stepping out into the bathroom. She threw on some underwear, a sports bra, a baby tee, and yoga pants before brushing her hair and putting it up into a loose bun. Boy was she glad to be rid of Pansy's body. When she emerged from the bathroom he was awake, propped up on the bed, sheet draped over his mid-section.

"Morning." he said yawning.

"Morning." she smiled back. "Did you sleep ok?"

"Yeah, like a log." he got up and the sheet fell away. She blushed. He walked past her and into the bathroom; soon she heard the shower running. She flipped through a book while waiting for him to come out. There was a quick knock, followed by the door turning. Alarmed, Hermione ducked down so no one could see her. She peeked out and saw Dribby, carrying a tray of food. She set the food down on the table and exited the room without a word. Hermione was starving; she dove into the plates and plates of food. Soon enough he came out of the bath, dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, looking hungrily at the plates.

"Great! I'm starved." he said helping himself to scrambled eggs, toast and strawberry jam. He poured both of them a cup of coffee. She sat next to him on the sofa, in contemplated silence, looking at him every now and then. He would catch her eye and smile. The food disappeared quickly and he walked the tray out to the hall for Dribby to pick up. He sat back down, not knowing what to say.

"I had a good time at the club last night." she piped up.

"Yeah, me too." he scratched his head uncomfortably. "Look about last night…"

"No, it's okay. I knew it would come up sooner or later." she blushed.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay with it." he said soothingly.

"I'm fine with it" she said sipping her coffee.

"I don't want this to be awkward. We are both adults, it is our choice who we do what with."

"I know."

"So is everything good?"

"Yep"

"Okay"

They sat there not talking for an eternity when an owl perched on the windowsill. Draco ran over and untied the note. It was from Harry.

_Draco and Hermione,_

_I don't know what in the hell is going on but Steven Shanly marched in here this morning demanding we arrest you, Draco. He said you assaulted him in a club in London last night, now I know that is impossible since I told you to stay home with Hermione. Unfortunately, he has witnesses that saw you there. I am apperating there immediately to hear your explanation._

_Harry_

"Potter is pissed." he said to her.

"About what?"

"Our little trip last night, Steven wants to file charges on me. Apparently he had a right little fit about it at the ministry this morning. Harry is on his way over."

Minutes later a pop could be heard in the hallway and Harry opened the door, a mad look upon his face.

"So, you decided to go out last night and leave her along again?" Harry fumed.

"No."

"Then why do I have at least six witnesses saying you punched Steven Shanly in the nose in front of a crowd of people?"

"Well I was there, but I didn't leave her alone, she came with." he smiled over at Hermione, who now looked extremely guilty.

"WHAT?" Harry yelled. "YOU TOOK HER OUT OF THIS HOUSE AFTER WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON?" his face was red with anger.

"Get your panties out of a bunch Potter. I gave her a morphing potion so she would look like Pansy."

"A what?"

"For an Auror, you sure are slow. A morphing potion. Turned her into someone else for longer than a Polyjuice potion. Look she was getting cabin fever from being cooped up in here. We just went out for a little while. No one knew it was her."

"So why did you bring attention to yourself by hitting him." Harry asked, arms folded.

"Well, the prat was hitting on her, who he thought to by my date. I told him to go look for his wife and stop trying to shag anything that moved. He called her a bitch; I called him pathetic and punched him. Simple." Draco shrugged.

"Merlin help me." Harry rolled his eyes. "How are you doing Hermione?"

"Great" she smiled looking to Draco who had blushed three shades darker. "But I need to talk to you. I want a divorce. I would like you to file the paperwork for me, and schedule a hearing."

Harry nodded.

"You do know what you will have to go through don't you?" he asked her.

"I do, Draco has volunteered to testify, and I was hoping you would too. I don't expect you to admit you helped with all this, but just that you ran into me a week before I disappeared, tell them you notice my cuts and such. I'm sure all vendors at the market would testify to my state as well."

"Alright" Harry said, "I will file this afternoon. I will go to my supervisor and tell him you came to me, and you are in fear for your life, that's why you are hiding. Don't expect this to be pretty." he waved before he disappeared with a pop.

"Nothing is easy for me." she sighed looking into the fire.

When Harry arrived back at his office he sought out his supervisor immediately.

"I need to speak to you Mr. Nolan." Harry said rapping on the door.

"Come in, and I have told you to call me William." he motioned for him to sit, and he did.

"I found Hermione Shanly, or rather, she found me." Mr. Nolan wore an expression of joy and surprise.

"Excellent Potter, where is she so I can owl her husband and tell him to come get her." he reached for a piece of parchment.

"No, you can't owl him until I tell you the whole story. I haven't been completely honest with you. I grew up with Hermione; her last name was Granger then. I went to Hogwarts with her for seven years. She met Steven and they got married. I was in training here, and she was going to be a healer. Right after her marriage she dropped out of school and owled me and our friend Ron telling us not to contact her any more. I owled her several more times and got no response. I was worried but I thought her to be more than able to handle herself, after all she helped me get rid of Voldemort. A week before her disappearance I ran into her in an outdoor market in muggle London. She was thin, but that was the least of her problems. Her face and arms were bruised, and her lip was cut. She acted like she didn't want to see me. Said she had to get home and fix her husband lunch. Then when I heard she was missing I thought he had done something to her. But she sought me out today, said she went into hiding, I don't know where, because of the abuse she endured during her marriage. She didn't go into great detail, but I know she is telling the truth. I also interviewed Draco Malfoy, who Steven accused of hitting him last night in a muggle London club. He was there with a date, who Steven hit on throughout the night. When Mr. Malfoy made it clear that she was there with him, he called his date a bitch, and Mr. Malfoy admits to hitting him. I think it was well deserved. I would have defended my date as well."

"So Potter, what does this mean? She was not kidnapped?"  
"That is correct; she left so he wouldn't hit her anymore." Harry said bitterly.

"Cowardly bastard." Mr. Nolan said and it shocked Harry.

"She wants me to file for divorce on her behalf, schedule a hearing with the council. I think it is appropriate."

"Agreed. Permission granted. Call off the other Aurors and owl Mr. Shanly. If she contacts you again tell her she can also file charges against him if she wishes." he turned back to his notes and left Harry to do the rest. He walked down the hall to the Auror headquarters.

"Attention, everyone. I have just come from Mr. Nolan's office. He has given me permission to call off the search for Hermione Shanly. So please return to your other work."

"Has she been found?" someone yelled.

"Yes, but I cannot explain now. Thank you."

He picked up a quill and parchment and penned a note to Steven Shanly. This would be excellent. He hated that guy.

_Mr. Shanly,_

_It is to my deepest pleasure to inform you that we have located your wife Hermione. She came to seek me out. Some interesting information surfaced that you failed to mention in all of your reports. She claims that you have abused her since the day you wed, and we believe her. She has witnesses to prove her claims. She wishes to have nothing to do with you, and is filing for divorce. I am to schedule the hearing._

_Good Day, _

_Harry Potter_

_Junior assistant to the head Auror_

He sent this off in a hurry, wishing he could see Steven's face when he read the letter. He sat back in his desk, feet propped up and smiled.


	10. Rage and Divorce

Disclaimer; I own nothing.

A/N Hi all! Here is the next chapter you have been waiting for (Drumroll please!) Happy reading and don't forget to review.

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**Rage and Divorce**

Steven was working when the owl appeared at the window. He rang up his customer who had kind words to say to him about Hermione's absence, before retrieving the message from the owl. His eyes scanned the words three times before it sunk in. 'Divorce' he thought. Oh no, no divorce for him. He crumpled the paper and called one of his employees over, instructing them to man the store while he went to the ministry and sorted it all out. He apperated with a pop and landed in the ministry lobby. He stormed off towards the Auror offices, crumpled note still clutched in his hand. The door flung open and several stunned Aurors stopped what they were doing and looked up. He marched right over to Harry's desk.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" he yelled to Harry. Several of his co-workers moved closer in case he needed assistance.

"I think it is pretty self-explanatory Mr. Shanly. Hermione has decided she had enough of your abuse, and wants a divorce. Any questions?" he smirked in Steven's direction.

"Don't you fucking smirk at me. Where is she? Where is my wife?" he slammed his fists down on the desk. Harry just looked at him. He had faced Voldemort, nothing could be worse than that.

"I don't know where she is, and if I did, I still wouldn't tell you. I ran into her at the market a week before she ran off. She looked terrible mate, thin, covered in bruises and I thought what kind of a coward would hit a woman half his size. Then I remembered you, at your wedding."

"My wedding? How would you know anything about that?"

"Well I am glad to see that you are not as smart as you look. I was at your wedding; I was Hermione's best friend in school. Harry Potter." he lifted his hair to reveal a lightning bolt scar deep red on his forehead. Steven stepped back a bit.

"Harry Potter? I should have recognized you from the beginning. I want to speak to your supervisor. You are hiding her from me. You have always fancied her haven't you?" he was speaking in an eerily even calm tone.

"No, she was like my sister, and then I got a letter, telling me and Ron to stay away. I never knew why until today. Besides, my supervisor knows I was her friend and gave me the go ahead to call off the search and file for divorce on her behalf. Now if you don't mind, I have paperwork to file." Harry said turning to his pile of parchment on the desk.

Stevens face was a shocking color of red.

"You fucking tell me where she is right now or I'll…"

His words were broken by a crowd of Aurors surrounding Harry's desk, wands pointed readily at Steven's throat. He gave a look of contempt to the group before turning on his heel to leave.

He walked down the hallway towards the lobby. He was fuming with rage. How dare that little bitch tell everyone about their private life! Her punishments were well deserved. She was a useless woman, who needed strict discipline to know what to do and how to do it. She had never really mastered that in the bedroom however, she usually laid there like a lump. That's why he sought out alternatives. But back to her, she thinks she is getting a divorce? Not in this lifetime. He would play the good husband and tell the council she is accident prone, and that Potter is lying to cover up for his friend. Then, when she is forced to come home, well let's just say that those two days she spent in the basement last time would be gravy compared to his plans. He walked outside and then apperated home to begin the plans.

Meanwhile Hermione and Draco were having a rough day. Everything he did was wearing on her nerves. He was reading a book in the chair by the window when she shouted;

"Could you keep it down?"

He looked up startled. All he had done was turn a page.

"What is your problem Granger?" he asked in his old way.

"You over there making all that racket. It is driving me mad. Now please, keep it down." she went back to her book. He rolled his eyes at her before returning to his reading. She had been biting his head off all morning since Harry left. He had a sneaking suspicion that she was upset about their activities last night. She had said she was ok with it all, but deep inside he could see that internal war between the good, chaste, would never commit adultery Hermione, and the lustful, calling out his name in between orgasms Hermione. Clearly she had issues. The day passed ever so slowly since his only company was presently not speaking to him. He stood up and stretched before leaving the room to get their dinner order in. When he came back up she was in tears.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Nothing, just go."

"It must be something."

"Nothing you can help with."

"Try me."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Fine, don't tell me." he said, standing to walk to the other side of the room.

"Hold on, the problem is you. That's why I can't tell you."

"What did I do now?' he said sitting back down.

"You didn't do anything, it's me. I am being silly about last night." she looked sheepishly down at the rug.

"There was nothing silly about last night. We both are adults, and we had fun, well at least I hope you did."

She nodded tearfully.

"So are you having some kind of moral dilemma?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you are clearly upset by what happened. So either you feel guilty since you are still married, which you shouldn't because your husband is an ass."

She smiled at that.

"Or I was that terrible last night and now you wish you had not been with me."

"That's not it at all."

"Then what?" he asked getting annoyed.

"I don't know what to feel. I need to be more in control of my emotions, and right now, I am not. It's not all you either. Something happened a while back, something I have had trouble getting over" tears fell fast and free. He looked around the room uncomfortably.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" she shook her head no.

"You don't need to dwell on your emotions right now. Just concentrate on your divorce, then you can find what you are feeling." he tried to hug her but she shrunk away into the couch. He took that as a cue to leave her be.

Back at Hermione's house Steven was making his plans. He was down the basement, waving his wand. He stood back looking at his work. Floor to ceiling bars, strong lock. Nice. He would enjoy sticking her in here when he went to work, and now he decided after sex, he would put her back down here as well. He smirked as he tested the strength of the bars. Perfect. The rest of the basement had been cleared of all things. Blank walls, windows boarded up. Nothing for her to look at or do. She always wanted mind stimulation, and this would totally drain her of any and all will to live. Then she would finally be broken. He was still fuming over Potter. Of course, she saw him and her will came back to her. That would not happen again. He had been much too lenient of course. He considered putting a toilet in with her and a blanket, but he decided against it in the end. He would make her _earn_ a blanket, and beg for bathroom rights. He smiled at the thought of her down here, all to himself. She would do things she had not been willing to do in the past. And, if possible he wanted to get her pregnant as soon as possible. She had put this off for three long years, saying she didn't feel like she was ready to be a mother. He had complied, wanting her for himself for a while, but this was getting out of hand. She had gotten pregnant on accident once, about a year after their wedding. He was happy but she moped about the house like a beaten house-elf. Finally in anger he had pushed her down the steps, and she lay on the bottom landing, bleeding. He walked by smirking and told her to clean herself up and get his dinner. He heard her crying back up the stairs and after an hour she came back down eyes red from crying. He looked at her and yelled;

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU CRYING? YOU DIDN'T WANT THE LITTLE BASTARD ANYWAY NOW DID YOU?"

It took another 12 hours of being locked in the basement before she snapped out of it and got back to the routine. He had not wanted to harm his child, but he wasn't going to have his wife walking around like a fucking zombie. It had been almost 2 years since that incident. He was finished now, and walked back upstairs to plan the next phase of his plan.

Harry worked away on his piles of papers. He had to do all of his regular work, give a press statement to the Daily Prophet on Hermione's disappearance, and file her divorce papers to the Marriage council. He started writing.

**Name;** Hermione Granger Shanly

**Address; **3434 Maple Lane, London

**Occupation;** Homemaker

**Date of Marriage;** June 12, 2002

**Spouse's name;** Steven Shanly

**Reason for divorce;** Abuse, rape.

**Witnesses you wish to call; **Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, Vendors in London's outdoor market, but since they are muggles I will request their testimony in writing.

**Type of hearing requested, check one;**

**X Disillusion (no children or property involved.**

**Divorce with children and property.**

**Divorce with no children, but mutual property.**

**Annulment, a marriage of less than one year.**

**I swear before this council that the statements I make are true to the best of my knowledge and with no uncertainty and may be presented in trial.**

**Signature**

There, he looked over the paperwork, and owled it to Hermione, she needed to look it over and sign it before he could present it to the council. He looked out the window after the owl and sat back down to write his press release to the Prophet. An hour later he was walking to the lobby to meet the reporters, luckily Rita Skeeter had been fired years ago, but some of the new reporters were just as bad.

"Thank you for coming, Ladies and Gentlemen. If I can have your full attention, I will fill you in on the status of the case. You may ask questions afterwards if there is time."

There was a clamor in the crowd, and then silence.

"Earlier today, Hermione Granger Shanly sought me out. She wanted to clear things up about the supposed kidnapping. She in fact had not been kidnapped, but left her husband and went into hiding."

There was a gasp from the crowd.

"She told me that her husband of 3 years, Steven Shanly had consistently abused and raped for the duration of their marriage. She had finally had enough and left. She has been in hiding ever since. I witnessed the bruises and cuts on her a week before her disappearance, and just this morning Mr. Shanly came into the Auror office and threatened me in front of my co-workers. Until the divorce is final, Hermione Shanly will be in hiding and unavailable for comment. Thank you. I will take your questions now." Harry pointed at a squat witch in the front row.

"Mr. Potter, how is it you noticed her bruises and alleged abuse a week before her disappearance?"

"Well," Harry said "I ran into her in an outdoor market in muggle London. Next?"

"We have reports that you knew Miss Granger/Shanly from school, is that true?"

"Yes, but it has nothing to do with this case, moving on."

"What kind of alleged abuse is Mrs. Shanly claiming?"

"The kind that will be kept private until the divorce is final. Anything else?"

"Yes, did she plan to go into hiding on her own, or did she have help from, let's say a lover?"

"No, she planned it on her own, and she has no lover. This is strictly a case of outright abuse. Thank you. Have a nice day." Harry waved them off.

"Damn barracudas." he smirked walking back up to his office.

An owl was furiously tapping on Draco's window.

"It's from Harry." he said tossing the letter to Hermione. She opened it right away and read over the contents.

"Its my divorce papers, I have to sign them."

He jumped up and handed her a quill.

"There you go."

She hesitated, point of the quill resting on the spot where she should be signing. She began to bite her lower lip.

"Go on sign." he nudged her arm, but she shot him a nasty look.

"I don't know." she said quietly. "Maybe he can change, he seemed awful worried about me in the Prophet." she tapped the quill on the paper repeatedly.

"My father was always nice to my mother for a few days after a blow up, but it never stopped, not until he died. But you do what you want, if you like that sort of thing, then by all means go back to him." he said bitterly.

"It's not that, but divorce?" she said, eyes wide, looking at Draco looking for comfort. That didn't come. He was annoyed that she would even consider going back after all that had happened, after the incident at the club. He just shook his head.

"It is your decision what to do with your life." he said flatly. She sat there staring for a moment longer, before penning her name to the papers, and sending them off along with her wedding ring, with Draco's owl.


	11. Reliving the Past

Disclaimer; I own nothing...

A/N Sorry for the long wait between updates but I run a small business and we were really really busy. Well I hope you like the chapter. OMG check out my profile page and click on the bottom link to mugglenet. One of my editorials was published on there. I was so excited. They are the best Harry Potter site ever. Happy reading and don't forget to review.

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Reliving the past...

At the same time Hermione was signing her divorce papers, Steven was working the second part of his plan. He had to get her to come out of hiding. But how? He sat and thought about this for a long while before he came up with something. He would have to swallow his pride, apologize to Potter and have him set up a meeting to discuss their 'divorce'. He would say that he has accepted it, and wants to finish quickly. And then when it was just him, Potter and Hermione, he would grab her and take off. Ah, but the fly in his plan was the fact that the ministry knew where he lived. And his lovely cage was waiting for her there. He would go into hiding for a few weeks, until things died down. Maybe he would obliviate Potter's mind, and Hermione's so that she would forget all about any divorce plans. Without warning though his plans were going down the drain. The Daily Prophet had a front page article on him and Hermione.

**Hermione Shanly alleges abuse from husband.**

_In a press conference today, Harry Potter, junior assistant to the head auror, stated that Hermione Granger Shanly has indeed been located. Mr. Potter said that his former Hogwart's friend came to him, alleging that she left her husband of 3 years due to consistent and unimaginable abuse. Mr. Potter stated that Mrs. Shanly will continue to stay in hiding until the divorce is final. According to inside sources she has several witnesses to her abuse which will be called during the hearing. Her husband, Mr. Steven Shanly, who has been seen in recent weeks begging for his wife's safe return, owns an apothecary in Diagon Alley called 'The Lone Wizard's apothecary.' Our sources also tell us that he has been spotted in several London nightspots with many different young women on his arm. This whole situation sounds fishy in this reporter's opinion. We will keep you up to date on the latest developments._

His face froze in rage. That was the final straw; they mentioned his business and abuse in the same article. He knew that most people trusted what they read in the Prophet. And they had been following him in the nightclubs. Damn, he wondered how many women they had seen him with. He had shagged one out in the back alley behind the club. Fuck! He hoped they hadn't seen that. It would look really bad in front of the council. His plan of seeing her before the divorce was shot to hell in one fail swoop. He sat back down and wracked his brain thinking of ways to get her to come home. None came to him. He looked around at his house, there were dishes everywhere, and he hadn't eaten a decent meal in weeks. And he was seriously lacking in his nightly bedroom activities. He slumped back in his chair again. He was fucked.

Hermione sat in the bathroom at the manor next to the tub. She was holding her knees tightly to her chest and crying. It had been exactly two years since he pushed her down the steps causing her to miscarry. She remembered uttering that spell and finding out she was pregnant. She was happy, but then she thought of how life would be with a baby? Would he treat it like he treated her? This thought drowned her in sorrow. She walked around like the saddest woman on earth for a few days, and he noticed. He asked her what was wrong, she told him, no point in lying. He hugged her like he did before they were married. He told her it had better be a boy. Duh, not like she had any control over that. It was his swimmers that determined the sex of the baby. But she did not give her opinion. She just smiled and nodded like a demented Barbie doll. She could not get the thought of him beating their child off of her mind and when her demeanor didn't improve he walked up behind her and pushed her down the steps. She landed with a thump on the landing. An extreme pain invaded her abdomen. She cried out as blood poured from her underwear. She was 2 months along. She cried holding her stomach and he walked past her casually asking when dinner would be done. She half walked, half crawled up the steps and into the small bathroom. She got to the toilet and pulled off her pants and underwear. They were filled with blood. She sat on the toilet and blood continued to pour from her. She cried for over an hour before she could compose herself and make her way towards the kitchen where he was waiting. He glared at her.

"WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU CRYING? YOU DIDN'T WANT THE LITTLE BASTARD ANYWAY NOW DID YOU?" he had screamed. She broke down again and he carried her down the basement, kicking and screaming, and locked the door. Twelve hours later, he peeked down the steps. She had collapsed on the bottom stair, a pool of blood beneath her. Her thighs and underwear were covered in dried blood. He told her she was disgusting and to go clean herself up. She didn't respond. But before long she crawled her way up the rickety steps and he had looked at her with such revulsion that she felt lower than the lowest animal. She went upstairs and cleaned up, before returning to cook his breakfast. She was already late with it as she remembered. That was the last time she would allow herself to go through that. After sex every night she would sneak his wand and perform a contraceptive spell. She would not put a child through that. A knock at the door snapped her back to reality.

"Granger are you okay? You have been in there a while. Do you want Dribby to get you something for your stomach?" he asked with some concern in his voice.

"No, I am fine." she sniffed, trying to pull herself together. She had not told another living soul about the baby, and she didn't want to have to explain her tears now. She splashed some water on her face, dried it and returned to the bedroom. He looked at her, trying to decipher her mood. He must have decided she looked too moody to approach, because he walked right by her into the bathroom. She sat in front of the fire, staring into the flames until her eyes hurt. And when he came back out of the bathroom, she decided she needed someone to talk to.

"Draco, can we talk?" she said meekly.

"What's up?" he looked into her caramel eyes, which he noticed were red from crying. He hoped that it wasn't about the other night again.

"Can I tell you something?" her eyes were filled with uncertainty, and on the verge of crying again.

"I guess, is it about…?"

"It's not about the other night. It is about something that happened a couple of years ago today." she sniffed.

"Ok."

"Two years ago today, Steven, well he…and I…" she couldn't get it out. She wanted to tell him why she was acting like this. All of the years of abuse had conditioned her not to share her pain. But she thought he would understand, and hold her close, leaving the past behind.

"What is it?" he asked, his soft silver eyes looking clearly into her soul.

"He killed our baby!" she spat out, throwing her head into his chest and sobbing openly. He was stunned. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. He felt her wet salty tears soaking his shirt, and he patted her head soothingly. What did she mean he had killed their baby? Was there more charges they could file against him, maybe get him a one-way ticket to Azkaban? If so all the better, but right now his attention turned to her. She was hyperventilating on his chest.

"What did you just say?" he asked her, trying to pull her out of her downward spiral.

"I…was…preg…nant. He pushed me…down the stairs, I…bled." she continued sobbing, mumbling words in between her cries. He felt a mixture of rage and hate towards her husband. But he had to push that aside now, she needed him to comfort her. And that's just what he did. He laid his jaw on top of her head and kissed her hair. She snuggled into his chest and would sniff every moment or so. He wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and held her so close, just the way she wanted.

"I am so sorry." he whispered to her. She didn't respond, but she tightened her grip around him, pressing her face into his chest. She inhaled his scent which was a very comforting mix of musk and pine. She didn't know why this smell made her feel better, but it did. It also had something to do with the way he was holding her. Tight, but not suffocating. Warm but not mushy. She was all too happy to lie here with him for the rest of the day. She sure did not want to eat. Her appetite had been ruined by her thoughts of that baby. He would be almost a year and a half old now. Tears fell again, but Draco made no effort to get up. He sat there for over 3 hours holding her and listening to her cry. Finally she sat up and looked into those molten steel eyes. She felt somehow relieved. She had needed to get that out for 2 years now. She had not told anyone else.

"I am sorry for dumping all that on you." she sniffed, wiping her eyes on her shirt.

"Don't be. I can't believe you kept that inside for 2 years." he reached over and wiper her cheek with his thumb. Warmth spread through her body again, and she grabbed his hand and kissed his fingers softly, smiling lightly at him. He smiled back and grabbed her head bringing it back to rest upon his chest. His steady heartbeat and breathing helped her to fall asleep peacefully.

She awoke at about 11pm, startled that Draco was still lying beneath her. He had dozed off as well. She realized that she was suddenly starving. She called for Dribby, just by saying her name, and she arrived ready to serve. 'House elves are just weird' she thought.

"Dribby, we missed dinner. Can you fix us something if it is not too much trouble?" Hermione asked sweetly.

"Oh, miss it is no trouble at all, I can fix anything you like. I can fix…"

"Just whatever Draco likes, thank you." she smiled at the house-elf who was bowing as she left the room. Hermione stood up to go to the bathroom. Her legs and arms were cramped up from lying on the couch for too long. She went to use the bathroom and when she was done, she looked at herself in the mirror.

'You look like hell.' she told herself, splashing water on her face. She undressed quickly and turned on the shower. The hot water relaxed her tired muscles as she washed her body and her hair. When she was done, she got out and wrapped herself in a towel. She wished she had something nice to wear tonight. All she had was the grandma gown he bought her when she first arrived. Then an idea popped into her head. She would run to the bedroom next door and grab something of Pansy's. As nauseating of an idea it was, she didn't feel like being herself tonight. He had been so kind to her. She thought she would look nice for him. She looked into the hall, (He had long stopped locking the door.) and saw that no one was there. She tiptoed next door and found a large, cream and white colored bedroom, with gold trim. She opened the closet. Nothing. The drawers seemed to be the same, until she came to the nightstand ones. There were 2 nighties in there. One red, sheer with roses and a matching thong. 'Uh, no' she thought 'too Pansy' and the other, long, green satin with a plunging neckline and matching thong. It had wider straps, and the back went so low it nearly touched her tailbone. 'Perfect.' She slipped it on then went to the dresser where she applied some light make up and a spritz of perfume. She looked back into the hallway. No one in sight. She slipped back in the bedroom, where a moment later Dribby appeared with a tray. She set it down, smiled looking Hermione over from head to toe before saying;

"Looks much better on you than on Miss Pansy." she said bowing out the door again. She went over to the couch to wake Draco up.

"Draco, dinner is here, we slept through. Wake up."

He raised his head groggily.

"Huh?' he yawned widely before opening his eyes and looking at her. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight. I had Dribby bring this up." she lifted the lid off of the tray and revealed a wide array of foods, all of Draco's favorites. He looked at the tray, and then back at her. Like he had just seen her for the first time. His eyes widened as he followed her frame from head to toe. He whistled.

"Wow Granger, I mean Hermione, you look nice."

"Thank you." she said blushing and making him a plate of food.

"So what is the occasion?"

"I know I have been rather difficult to live with recently, and I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate your friendship and support." she smiled at him as she handed him his plate.

"You didn't have to do all this." he said taking a bite.

"Yeah I did. I loaded a lot of crap onto you today, and since I got here. I have never had anyone to talk to. Even Harry and Ron, while they were my friends in school, it was their problems I had to listen to. My problems got pushed to the side. And well, I just wanted to thank you." she leaned in and brushed her lips against his. He swallowed quickly.

"You are welcome."

They both ate like starved people and half an hour later were collapsed on the couch together clutching their bellies. She snuggled her head back against his chest. She felt so safe, so secure. She lifted up his shirt and kissed his stomach, causing him to laugh. He looked down at her.

"What are you doing?" she shrugged at him and kissed up his chest tugging his shirt off over his head. He raised his eyebrow at her, but she paid him no mind. Soon she straddled his lap and was kissing his chest and neck. He closed his eyes, not looking at her. He knew he should not allow her to continue. She was in no emotional state to make this decision again, but Merlin she was so sexy and desirable right now. He would just go so far, and then stop it. They both deserved a little happiness. Her lips found their way to his and soon she was licking his lower lip, biting at it playfully.

'Damn, she smells so good. Why does she do this to me?'

Her hands ran through his hair tugging at his blonde locks a little roughly. It was a side of her he didn't know existed, but he liked it. She bit and sucked along his neck and collarbone again, leaving red and purple marks as she went.

'He tastes so good.' she thought. She tugged at his sweatpants, but they wouldn't budge. She looked up and saw him hiking them up. She looked at him puzzled.

"I thought you wanted…" she started but he interrupted.

"I don't think you should be doing this," he said.

"I want to."

"You may think that, but after what happened last time, I don't know."

"Things are different now." she said kissing his naval, weakening his resistance.

"How?'

"It just is." she reached her hand inside of his boxer shorts and felt him, he was getting hard. He let out a little moan.

'Why is she doing this to him? And why is he not just sitting back and enjoying himself? Had he lost his Malfoy touch?' he thought to himself.

By the time she had pulled his boxers low enough for her to lick the tip; he had come to a decision. He would have to stop her. He would explain that it wasn't her, Merlin it sure wasn't. But they both needed to get their emotions in check and figure out what was going on. Then suddenly, her mouth took his entire erection inside of it. He grabbed her head and ran his fingers through her curly locks. She was licking him up and down his shaft; he looked down and saw her there, Hermione Granger, giving him head. It was too much for him to handle all in one day. He laid his head back and looked at the ceiling. Oh, gods her mouth felt good. He had not had anything like this for a very long time. She ran her tongue along the head and circled it several times before going all the way down again. He had to stop this, but he couldn't. She lifted her lips from him and kissed her way back up to his mouth, where she plunged her tongue into his mouth, twirling her tongue with his. He grabbed her shoulders;

"Stop, we can't do this again." he said looking into her caramel eyes that were pleading with him.


	12. Steven's new friend

Disclaimer; I don't own Harry Potter, sadly.

A/N Hi all, here is the next chapter for you all. Happy Reading and don't forget to review.

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Steven's new friend

He pulled her head off of his member and sat her up. She had a look of utter confusion on her face.

"What is the matter?" she asked.

"It just doesn't feel right, you crying one minute and the next wanting to shag…I don't know what you want." he confessed.

"I want you." she said leaning in to kiss his neck again.

He needed all of his strength to resist her. He threw his head back and looked up at the ceiling as she kissed her way around his neck. He was having a moral dilemma now. The good and decent Draco in him knew it was wrong, she was vulnerable, her child had died and she was upset. The horny Draco in him wanted to ravish her. Throw her on the bed and shag her silly. 'Damn morals' he thought. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her lightly.

"What is wrong with you tonight?" he yelled. She looked to be on the verge of tears, and to his dismay she was. She stood up and threw herself on the bed, crying into the pillows. He stood up and hiked up his pants. 'Damn those moral fibers deep, deep, deep down inside me.' he thought as he was walking over to the bed. He sat down, not saying a word and just stared at her. She looked beautiful, puffy eyes and all. He ran his hand over her back, in an effort to comfort her. She lifted her head to meet his.

"What is wrong with me?" she asked tearfully.

"You are just upset, it happens. You have been through a lot." he said soothingly.

"No, am I not pretty enough, not smart enough what?" she blurted in between sobs.

"I'm not sure what you mean." he said.

'Blondes' she thought.

"You obviously find me disgusting, that's why you pushed me away." she said wiping her eyes. "All I wanted to do was have a special night with you. I found this gown, and some makeup. I know I don't look as nice as half the girls you probably date, and I am keeping you locked up here so you cant even date, but I thought I would make it up to you." her eyes burned his heart.

"It's not that at all, I just thought…well after last time…I just don't know what to think. I have never felt like this before." he reached his hand out and grazed her wet cheek with it. She grabbed his hand and kissed it lightly.

"I have never had anyone in my whole life treat me the way you do. Who knew you would grow up from that little bouncing ferret to a handsome, kind beautiful man." she smiled through her tears.

"Yeah, well just don't let it get out." he returned her smile. "Look Hermione, I just don't want you to do something you will regret tomorrow. And about you not looking as nice as the girls I normally date…hell Granger you would put them all to shame." he leaned in and kissed her forehead, and she buried her head in his chest again. To his surprise she began kissing his chest again.

"Draco?' she said in between her tiny kisses.

"Yeah," he said.

"I am not going to regret this, I promise." she was kissing her way down his stomach as she said this.

"Alright then." he said grabbing her by the face and bringing it up to his. Her lips were like some exotic drug. He was hooked on them. He wanted to bite them, taste them. He ran his tongue across them, and she moaned softly into his mouth. He had no clue what he was feeling for her. It was more than friendship, but he dare not call it love, not just yet. He mouth traveled to her chest, kissing her breasts softly. Then she laid him down on the bed, his blonde hair hit the pillow and when he looked down she was pulling off his sweats and shorts.

'Gods she looks beautiful in the moonlight.' he thought. Her body was bathed in it, making her glow unnaturally. That green satin clung to her frame, and he was hooked. She kissed his stomach again and down to his erection again. She took it in her hand and licked the tip causing him to shudder. She had never done this for her husband. He had always asked her to, and tried to force her but in the end, no matter the beating you can't make someone do it properly if they don't want to. She licked her way up and down him, tasting his clean bare skin. She inhaled his scent, which was driving her crazy. Finally after teasing him for a moment or so she took him fully into her mouth, making him grab her head and run his fingers through her hair. He let out a soft moan that echoed in the quiet room. She moved her head up and down on him, rolling her tongue as she went. He was in complete heaven, never had he been touched like this. She knew how to make his body and mind soar. A few moments later she was kissing her way back up to his mouth. He grabbed her roughly and pulled her up, not being able to wait another moment. She gasped in delight as he pushed his tongue into her mouth and ripped off her gown. The thong was the next to go and soon she was lying there in all her naked glory. He looked at her lustfully as he dove down and kissed her lips, pushing them aside and thrusting his tongue onto her clit sending her into an instant orgasm. He continued the furious pace, tasting her every inch. She cried out for him over and over. He took her clit in his mouth and sucked on it, her back arched and she let out a high pitched scream. He smiled knowing what he could do to her just with his mouth. He lifted his head and crawled back towards her smiling face. She pulled him into a deep kiss.

"You are amazing, do you know that?" she asked. He shrugged before kissing her again. Lying on top of her body, he felt her nudge him towards her, wanting him to slide in. He did just that, pushing into her wetness and listening to her scream over and over. She was not quiet like one would think. He ran his hands underneath her, feeling her tight rear and her curvaceous hips. She was pushing her hips into his thrusts, giving him the full effect of her.

'She looks so perfect when she is here with me, like it is all she wants right now.' he thought as she looked up at him with teary eyes and a satisfied smile. Minutes later he was coming inside of her before collapsing on the bed. Sleep came fast and sound to them, both exhausted and emotionally drained.

Morning came all too soon; the sun was just peaking out the window when a loud pop could be heard from just outside the bedroom door. Pretty soon the knob was turning and Harry walked into the room, not bothering with knocking. Hermione and Draco lay tangled in a mess of sheets, arms around each other, both naked as the day they were born. Harry did not see them for a moment due to the heavy drapes that hung on the four poster bed. He walked gingerly over to wake Hermione when he noticed the both of them there, sound asleep. His eyes widened at this sight and he gave a little cough to try and wake them.

"Hem, hem" he coughed.

Hermione stirred and found herself looking into the emerald green eyes of her friend.

"Harry!" she said embarrassed, pulling the sheets up to cover herself more thoroughly. She pulled so hard a naked Draco rolled off the bed and onto the floor.

"Dammit Granger, quit hogging the covers." he said annoyed. Harry gave another cough to alert him to his presence. Draco quickly grabbed a pillow and covered his manhood from Harry, who was hiding a snigger.

"Potter, do you think you could owl first. Merlin." he yelled as he inched past him to the bathroom, making sure not to turn around.

"Soooo…Hermione, what's new?" he couldn't help laughing. She was as red as could be.

"It's not what it seems Harry." she said quietly.

"Oh really? Did someone do a vanishing charm on both of your clothes?"

Hermione laughed.

"No" she said shyly. "We just, well…I was lonely. Yesterday was rough for me, I just needed someone."

"None of my business." he said with a smile, and just then Draco walked out the bathroom, dressed in boxers and a t-shirt.

"Have a good night?" Harry asked him trying to keep a straight face.

"Uh…yeah." he said looking at Hermione sitting on the bed trying to cover herself. "Hey Potter, why don't you step into the hall and let Hermione get dressed." Harry nodded and left the room.

"Oh my gods Draco! That was so embarrassing." she stood up and the sheet fell to the floor. He eyed her up and down and whistled loudly. She shrieked and ran into the bathroom. When she came back out she was wearing a pair of Draco's boxers and a baby t-shirt. He whistled again and she blushed.

"Ok Potter everything is safely covered." he leaned into her and kissed her briefly just as Harry walked in.

"O Merlin, I don't need to see this." he hung his head low. Hermione blushed again and Draco smirked in a satisfied way.

"So what brings you by?" Draco asked biting into an apple from the breakfast tray Dribby had brought up before they had woke up.

"A few things, first I got your divorce papers and I am going to be forwarding a copy to Steven, he should get them tomorrow. Secondly, he is talking to the papers after they ran the story on you. He is denying any and all abuse and alleging you only want his money and half of the apothecary. Just ignore him; you have enough proof of your abuse to satisfy the council. Especially with Draco testifying. He is a respected member of the wizarding community whether I like it or not." Harry smiled at Draco who just gave him an annoyed look. Hermione just nodded, letting Harry know that she understood.

"So, you just need to stay put, if it is still alright with you" he turned to Draco, who smirked and nodded. Harry rolled his eyes. "Ok, if there is anything else I will be by." he leaned in and hugged Hermione, who was eating like a starved woman. "You look great by the way 'Mione" and with that he disappeared.

Later that night Steven was pacing the floors of his home. Still no word on her whereabouts. He followed Potter all day, except when he went into the ministry, he could go no further as he was banned from the Auror office. He thought for sure that Potter would lead him to her, if only he could get some kind of tracking spell on him, but he would have to be much, much closer to cast that. And Harry, being an Auror had constant vigilance. He plopped down on the sofa and sighed. How had his plan gone so wrong? He was supposed to be living a happy life, with the woman of his dreams, who obeyed his every wish. Now here he was, sitting alone in a big empty house, which was now so filthy he didn't even bother to wave his wand to clean it up. That was her job. And on top of all that he was horny. It sucked. He had picked up a blonde last week in a club, but he got in that scuffle with that Malfoy and she had wandered off to another man in the meantime. He made up his mind to go out that night and pick up someone, anyone. He needed to release some stress. He got dressed up in his nicest outfit, shaved, sprayed some cologne on and apperated to a wizard club in Diagon Alley. It was packed with people, and he inched his way to the bar and ordered two shots, which he downed quickly. He surveyed the room, looking for the right witch to charm into his bed. He did a double take, there, out on the floor was that little bitch that was with Malfoy last week. She had insulted him as well. He straightened up his stature and strutted over to her on the floor. He roughly pushed the man she was dancing with aside and shot her a wicked smile.

"So, where's your boyfriend?" he said to her as she looked at him strangely.

"Uh, I don't know what you mean, I am single." she continued to move that hot body of hers to the beat of the music.

"Yeah, right. You weren't single last time I saw you. You were flirting with me while you were dancing with him, and then he hit me." his smile turned to a look of anger.

"You must have me mixed up with someone else mate, now move on." she looked over at the man she had previously been dancing with, but Steven blocked her view by moving in front of her again.

"Come on sweetie, think hard. Muggle club in London, last week, you and a tall blonde named Malfoy?" he spoke to her as if she were two years old.

"I don't go to muggle clubs, too filthy, and Draco and I broke up over a month ago." she said indignantly. "So like I said, you have the wrong girl."

"No, I know it was you, you were wearing a short pleated skirt, black tank and white button up shirt. You had on thigh high boots in black too." he told her.

"I don't own any…wait a minute. I left those clothes at Draco's. He had some hussy in my clothes, gross."

"It was you; I am telling you the truth. Same hair, same ass, same tits. Bright red lipstick and heavy black eyeliner. Trust me, I never forget a face." he was dancing a little closer to her now, and she did not move away.

'Holy shit." she said shaking her head. "I was just at Draco's the other day, he did have this slut over, but she looks nothing like me. She had long brown curly hair, brown eyes and was much taller. I knew her from school, Hermione Granger. I saw her in the paper, missing. But now they say she is not. I don't know why she would leave her husband, he was something to look at." she looked up and Steven raised his eyebrow in a sexy way, and then flashed his charming smile.

"Am I now? And you say Hermione is at your ex's? How interesting. Have you gone to the ministry?" he said, keeping his calm, trying to get information.

"You are her husband aren't you?" She smiled "I went there right away; they said they searched and found nothing, but I know it was her. I would know her anywhere." she pressed her body against his and ground her hips into him. He grabbed her waist and pulled her as close as he could as he continued to probe her about Hermione.

"Oh my gods! I wonder if that girl that looked like me was her, you know in disguise? Like maybe she took a Polyjuice potion or whatever." she told him.

"Possible, she was all over that Malfoy, kissing and grinding on him." he told her trying to make her as mad as possible.

Pansy's pale face turned a deep red.

"That little slut, I told her she was there for my man." her fists shook with rage. "He broke up with me around the same time she went missing. You don't think…" she broke off.

"Oh, yes I do. I think my wife, and your ex planned this whole thing." he had a plan, but had to get this girl to go along with him. "But let's not think of them now shall we?" he smiled his million galleon smile at her and she melted in his arms.

"My name is Pansy, by the way." she said demurely.

"Steven, Steven Shanly." he replied kissing her hand. By the end of the night, she was back at his house, kissing him passionately, ripping the buttons off his shirt. He seized her up, tore her blouse off revealing only a lacy black bra underneath. Then he picked her up and carried her up the stairs, throwing her roughly on the bed. He unbuttoned his pants and let them slide to the floor. She followed suit, ripping off her skirt and throwing it across the room. She kneeled on his bed, in nothing but a black thong. Her short dark hair was lightly ruffled and had a sexy messed look to it. He neared the bed, smiling thoroughly. Not at Pansy, but at his newly hatched plan. He took her in his arms and roughly kissed her. She let him be rough with her, pulling her hair and slapping her lightly. An hour later, as they lay there exhausted, he told her of his plan, and to his surprise, she agreed to help him with no coercion at all.


	13. Kidnapped

Disclaimer; I don't own Harry Potter

A/N Well here is where the drama kicks in people! I hope you like this chapter, and the next two are going to be rough for the happy couple but never fear. It will all work out. Happy Reading and don't forget to review.

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Kidnapped

Steven and Pansy laid together in the bed he used to share with his wife. She was asleep on his chest. Normally he would not allow that, however Pansy was intricate to his plan. He had talked it over with her last night after their little romp. He was going to put her up in a nice hotel somewhere, close by, maybe in London. She was going to let him use her house, tiny, out of the way, unplottable. No one would look for him there. He would move his cage to her house, and set it up in her cellar. Then she would lead him to the Malfoy's house, she would use her key to get in and lead him to her. He would grab her up and take her to Pansy's. He would break her spirit; get her to drop the divorce. Oh, yes, there would be hell to pay. But, on the upside he thought he would keep Pansy on the side. She was a hell of shag, so kinky. But not wife material, not like his Hermione. He smiled as he thought of his brilliant plan, and then Pansy woke up ready for another go. Just then an owl tapped on his window. He stood up to retrieve the message. It was from the ministry. His face reddened. It was his divorce papers. He half-crumpled them before looking at Pansy.

"Its time now." he said to her naked body. "We need to move fast." and with that she gave him the evilest of grins.

Hermione had never been happier in her whole life. Even when she first met Steven. She didn't know what she was feeling for Draco, but just being with her now made her so explicitly happy she found herself just dreaming of his silver blue eyes. His blonde hair flitted through her thoughts, and for the first time in years she glowed with an inner light. She could hardly believe she was here, when it seemed such a short time ago she lived her life in utter terror. Now, this moment, she was lying on the sofa, in front of a roaring fire with Draco's head in her lap. She was stroking his hair softly, as he read to her from a large book. She was so surprised to learn that they shared so many of the same interests. His voice was so melodic and smooth that she hung on every word he said. The book was 'The count of Monte Cristo.' A beautiful romantic action adventure that she herself had read no less than 6 times while she was at Hogwarts. Harry had said Steven would receive his divorce papers today, and then the hearing in a week. After the divorce, she guessed she would have to leave. She frowned at the thought. She wanted to talk to Draco after the divorce was final and see where this was all going. She hoped they could continue to see each other after this was over. But she didn't want to jinx it. She drifted off to sleep in front of the fire, to the sound of Draco's voice.

He was jolted awake hours later by the sound of a screaming Dribby.

"Miss, Master Draco wake up, someone is in the house, someone is coming, two someones, please wake up."

Draco stood up, startled at the elf's screaming. He looked around at the room and saw no one.

"What is going on?" he yelled. The small elf screamed bloody murder.

"Stupefy" was the last thing Draco heard before hitting the floor.

Hermione never felt or heard a thing. The next thing she knew she was being pulled in all directions, held tightly by a firm strong pair of hands. She couldn't move or speak. It was dark and she couldn't see. When the pressure about her body stopped she was in a cold, dark place. She looked around, but her head wouldn't turn. She felt her body hit a hard cement floor, and the creaking of metal doors. Then she passed out.

Hours later she awoke and was able to move. She looked around, nothing. Blackness. Her mind was racing and she was terrified. There was no doubt in her mind where she was and who had done this to her. Steven had finally found her. She shivered in the cold; she had only been wearing a t-shirt and boxers when the house was ambushed.

'Oh my gods? Was Draco dead?' she thought. She began to cry, this was all her fault. If he was dead, she was to blame. Her full heavy tears fell to the cement floor. If only she had kept to herself, if he had never come to her rescue, all would be well with him. He would be safe. And now after all he had risked saving her, she was going to die by her own husband's hands. It had all been for nothing. She made a promise to herself in that cold pit. She would not cry. He could beat her, kick her, rape her and yet she would remain emotionless, tearless. She would not give him the satisfaction. She would not let Draco's death be for naught. She wiped tears from her cheeks and sat there waiting for her husband to show his cowardly face.

Upstairs however, Steven only had one thing on his mind, the raven haired beauty who was on her knees in front of him. Pansy was licking and sucking on him like he had never experienced. The day went off without a hitch. His wife was safely locked in the cellar, and he was getting the best blow-job of his life. He smiled down at her as he thought of the first things he would do to his wife.

Draco woke up slowly and looked around the room. It was a mess, things were thrown everywhere, chairs tipped over and Hermione was nowhere to be seen. He saw his house-elf lying on the floor. She was still breathing and starting to stir.

"Dribby, what happened, where is Hermione?" he said breathlessly.

"Master Draco, they dragged her off they did." she wept.

"Who did?" he asked panicking.

"Two people, wearing hoods. One tall and one short. I tried to warn you, but it was too late. I is so sorry Master." she was openly sobbing now.

"It's okay, you did all you could." he said, he stood up and grabbed some parchment, he needed to get a hold of Harry ASAP. He wrote as quickly as he could.

**Harry,**

**Someone came into the manor and kidnapped Hermione. They stunned me and my house-elf. She said it was a tall and a short person wearing hoods. I need help. Please come over ASAP.**

**Draco**

He folded it quickly and sent it off with his owl. He hopped Harry was at home at this late hour.

Meanwhile Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley were having a quiet dinner at Harry's flat. Somehow, it seemed to Ginny anyway that they were always interrupted by Harry's work. But tonight they had gotten through all the courses without a single owl. Ginny was now preparing dessert. Harry's favorite. Chocolate cake with whipped frosting. Suddenly, a familiar tapping at the window broke her concentration.

"Never a meal uninterrupted is there?" she asked annoyed.

Harry reached out to grab the note. He read it quickly and the smile from his face fell to the floor.

"It's Hermione!" he shouted. "Someone kidnapped her, took her from her hiding place. It was her husband, I know it. I'm sorry Ginny, I have to go." he stood up and kissed her on the cheek before disappearing with a pop, leaving her holding two plates of cake.

Seconds later Harry appeared at Malfoy manor, Draco was pacing the floor of the bedroom.

"Bout time Potter, what are we going to do?" he demanded.

"First tell me what happened, I thought your house had charms to keep it safe." Harry snapped back.

"It does. All I know is that we were sleeping on the couch and my house-elf came in screaming about intruders. I stood up and bam, I was stupefied." he made a motion with his hands like he was hitting the floor. Harry nodded.

"Okay. Let's think first how the intruders, and by that I mean Steven and his accomplice, got past your charms."

Draco scratched his head, thinking of ways to get past the security. He couldn't think of a single way.

"I have no idea Harry. Only a few people know the way. Me, my mum, the house-elf, you, Pansy, Blaise and my mum's Healer."

"Ok, let's rule out you and me. I assume your house-elf was already here and so was your mum."

"Actually she is out of town for the week, Spain."

"Ok so we can rule her out too. That just leaves Pansy, Blaise and your mum's Healer."

"Rule out Blaise and the Healer." Draco said "Blaise is in the states and my mum's Healer is at least a hundred years old. Besides he would have no reason."

"What about Pansy?" Harry asked. "She was pretty pissed when she reported Hermione being here to the ministry.

"She may be pissed off but she is no psycho. Besides she doesn't even know Steven. Maybe he is a dark wizard, figured out the charms, I don't know." he replied.

"Well, let's go. We need to gather the other Aurors, alert the Daily Prophet and search Hermione's house."

Draco nodded and they apperated to the ministry. They ran to the Auror headquarters and pushed open the heavy door. The other Aurors looked up in surprise. Harry stood up on a chair and called for their attention.

"Listen, I know it's late but I need every available Auror on this. Hermione Shanly was kidnapped from her hiding spot this evening. Draco Malfoy and his house-elf were stunned by the two intruders. One was tall and we were assuming it is Steven Shanly. The other intruder was much shorter, both wore hoods. Mr. Malfoy's house had protection charms on it that only a few knew about. We have ruled everyone out except his ex-girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson, who was in the ministry the other day. She knew Hermione was hiding in Draco's house. Draco does not think she is a part of this, but we can take no chances. We are raiding Mr. Shanly's house right now. Every inch is to be searched thoroughly. Anything out of the ordinary is to be bagged, tagged and brought back here for further spell and enchantment analysis. Is this clear?" Everyone nodded.

"I want to come too." Draco said firmly.

"I don't know…" Harry started.

"It wasn't a request." he said coolly. Harry nodded telling Draco he understood.

"Let's go then mate. You know the address to apparate?"

He shook his head no.

"Let's take the floo then." he stepped towards the massive fireplace and said; "Hermione Shanly's house." and threw in the powder. The fire turned emerald green and when he walked in the flames swirled and he was gone. Draco followed suit and soon his body was being engulfed in the flames and he stepped out into the dark house.

"Lumos" Harry whispered, and the tip of his wand lit up brightly. They looked around, they could hear the other Aurors ransacking through the house. They walked into the kitchen, and a putrid smell hit their noses. The smell of rotting food, garbage and filth. Draco wrinkled his nose at it. They stepped through piles of garbage and broken dishes, careful to scan the room for anything out of the ordinary. Other than the state of the kitchen, nothing else seemed unusual. One of the other Aurors, a short blonde witch came running to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, nothing in the lower rooms."

"Keep looking, Mr. Malfoy and I are going to search the basement. Are the bedrooms being searched?"

"Yes sir."

"Okay, if you find anything, let me know." she nodded and ran off. Harry opened the basement door and the duo walked down the rickety stairs. It was dark and smelled strongly of mildew. Harry held his wand high. Nothing. Literally there was nothing in the basement. Not one shred of paper, not a box, nothing. The walls were blank, the windows were boarded up. There was no light, no candle. It was a very ominous feeling.

"Something is not right here." Harry said quietly.

"You said it." Draco was walking the perimeter of the space. Not even a speck of dust was on the cold concrete floor. "You know he used to keep her down here, she told me, as one of her punishments." Harry looked dumbstruck.

"Are you serious?" he had goosebumps on his skin. He didn't like the feeling the room was giving off.

"She was down her for up to two days at a time sometimes. Fucking cowardly bastard." Draco felt very angry at being in this cellar. He felt her hurting and crying, he felt her pleading. His heart was sickened by it. He walked up the stairs quickly, leaving Harry to trail behind. Up in the kitchen he vomited on the already dirty floor. Harry walked up behind him.

"You okay?"

Draco nodded, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Made me sick thinking of what he did to her and what he is probably doing to her now." he straightened up more determined than ever to find her. His heart was aching; he missed her so much already. He never would have thought that he would miss anyone this much. They walked out of the dirty kitchen and up the stairs where the bedrooms were. There were no less than 10 wizards pulling every drawer and closet door out. It seemed that they were not going to find anything in this house. Steven was very good at covering his tracks. Draco was walking around the side of the bed when he noticed something that the Aurors may have overlooked. He picked up the black lacy bra and yelled for Harry.

"Oi, Potter." he held up the bra for him to see.

"Uh, I don't need to see Hermione's under things." he looked away and back to the closet.

"No, it's not hers." Draco said smugly, glad he had found something.

"What?"

"She is a 34c; this is a 38D, way too big."

"I don't even want to know how you know that, but give it here." Draco handed the bra to Harry who bagged it up. An hour later they were back at the ministry, looking through the three pieces of evidence they had found. A cigarette butt, the bra and some ashes that were in a small wastebasket near the bed. Harry knew that neither Hermione nor Steven smoked; they knew the bra wasn't hers and as for the ashes, they were a complete mystery. Harry stared at the items as if they were going to grow a mouth and spill their secrets. Draco sat across from him wracking his brain. That bra, her husband had obviously found someone to satisfy him whilst his wife hid herself away. But if he was so careful in hiding all of his recent movements from the ministry, why leave it? Was it a set up, leading them on a wild goose chase? The same thoughts were currently running around in Harry's brain.

"I know you said Pansy is not involved Draco, but I think we should search her place just in case. Maybe he sought her out; after all he thought you were with her at that muggle club."

"Sought her out? You mean he could be hurting her too?" Draco's anger heightened at this thought. He did not love Pansy, but he didn't want her to be harmed by this cruel bastard either. Harry shrugged.

"He could have her Imperiused, I don't know. We need to get to her house." Harry said impatiently.

"We cant, her house is unplottable, and even I don't know where it is. Her family is obsessed with privacy."

"We are screwed." Harry said shaking his head. "I am going to alert the news, both wizard and muggle, they can put out an alert for both Pansy and Steven. Until then, I don't know what else to do. If she has security measures, and no one knows where her house is, there is little we can do but wait." Harry had tears in his red rimmed eyes.

"Wait, I know someone who knows where Pansy lives." Draco stood up and shouted. Harry's eyes lifted.

"Who?"

"My owl." he said. "I used to use him to deliver messages to her all the time. Maybe we could write a message to her, and follow my owl."

"That might work, if she is at home. Won't he seek her out if she is elsewhere?" Harry asked.

"I will tell him to deliver it to her house only, and leave it on the porch if she is not there." he grabbed some parchment and began to write.


	14. Back to Hell

**Disclaimer; I don't own Harry Potter**

**A/N WARNING! This chapter contains scenes of violence and rape. If this upsets you please do not read it. This chapter was hard for me to write, but it needed to be written for the story tocontinue. Happy reading and don't forget to review.**

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**Back to Hell**

The door creaked open and Hermione stirred from her exhausted sleep. She was freezing cold, and had pulled her arms into her shirt and bunched up into a tight ball, trying to conserve heat. A tiny bit of light spilled into the cellar illuminating just a portion of her cell. She heard footsteps approaching and mentally prepared herself to see him. Step by step the footsteps echoed through the dark cellar. He waved his arm and lights appeared in the room. He strutted towards her, his chest pushed forward in a snide manner. He conjured a chair and sat in front of Hermione's tiny cell. He sat and stared at her for what seemed like forever.

'I am not going to cry, I will not give him that satisfaction.' she thought bitterly. 'If Draco is dead, I will do him that honor and go out with my head held high. Not like some begging coward.' she stood up and looked into those evil eyes.

"So." he said matter-of-factly.

"So?" she said.

"I hope you enjoyed yourself." he said flatly.

"I did." she smiled, thinking of all the fun she had with Draco. She wished she could tell him everything she did while she was away, but she bit her lip.

"Oh, just like that eh love? Just like 'I did'. Well, I see you have learned some bad manners while you were away, have you forgotten all I had taught you about respect?"

"Apparently I have." she stated, with such a fierce passion in her eyes she hardly looked like the same Hermione at all. He was a little taken aback by her insolence.

"I see, so we need to start all over then? Well, its more work than I wanted, but maybe I was too soft before." he stood up and paced, tapping his wand against the palm of his hand.

"No Steven we are getting a divorce. The papers are filed. The hearing is scheduled. The whole world knows what you are now." she folded her arms in front of her trying to look intimidating, but failing miserably.

"Oh, the divorce is off, didn't you hear? If you don't show up to that hearing next week, it is dismissed. And believe me, you wont be going." he smirked.

"You forget, Harry is an Auror, he will find me, after all he knows where we live, he will be here any minute." she wondered if that were true. She wasn't sure if they were in their house, the basement was too dark to be sure.

"Oh, sure if we were at our house, I would be so scared of the famous Harry Potter." he said sarcastically. "But lucky me, I found a nice house that is unplottable, and no one knows where you are." he smiled and it sent chills through her spine. No one knew where she was, she was worse than dead. She didn't let on to her fear though; she kept up her brave front.

"Harry can find me." she said flatly, not really believing it.

"Well, maybe what's left of you." he replied as he was getting closer and closer to the door of her cage. She was never more scared, but she still didn't let on. He waved his wand in front of the cage and the door opened slightly. She pushed her body against it to prevent him entering her 8 by 8 cell. But his strong body pushed its way in, and he shut the door behind him. She backed up against the wall, and he advanced on her like a cat catching its prey. A large hand connected with her face and she fell back and onto the floor. It knocked the wind out of her, but she caught her breath quickly, and stood up again to face him. She laughed as she held her stinging cheek. He looked at her like she was quite mad. His hand connected again, and again she fell. It took a little longer for her to get back to her feet, but she did. Both of her cheeks were a bright red color. He punched her in the stomach without warning and she fell to the floor yet again. She felt like screaming out, but she would not do it. She was not going to beg him as she had in the past. If he beat her to death it would be in dead silence. Her silence unnerved him. He hit her again and again until she fell to the floor and didn't get back up. She tried to shield herself from his blows, which had now turned to kicks. Her shins were assaulted by his hard kicks, followed by her stomach. She grunted, but did not cry. After what was only minutes, but seemed like hours, he stopped. He looked down at her broken, curled up body and smiled.

"I'll be back later." he said smugly, locking the cell and leaving her in complete darkness.

She heard the door lock, and she sat up in the far corner of the room. She didn't think she had any broken bones, but she was in a lot of pain. Still she was proud. She had not cried. She had not begged. Draco would be proud of her. She scooted back and curled up, trying to fall back asleep to escape the pain.

Harry and Draco were waiting impatiently for Draco's owl to show up. Finally he did. Draco grabbed his leg and tied the note around his leg.

"Take this to Pansy's house. If she is not there, leave it on her porch understand? Wait until I give the word right?" the owl blinked as if he understood every single word. They walked outside to the ministry entrance. Harry put a disillusion charm on both of them and they walked outside with brooms ready to follow the dark owl. Draco let him go and they kicked off the ground and sped behind the owl and into the night. The air was cold as they flew over the city of London. The tiny twinkling lights were waving them goodbye as they rose higher and higher. The owl was extremely fast and it was hard to keep up. They were soaring over treetops and fields, hoping to get there in time.

She stirred again to the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. She stood up quickly, and painfully. She was ready for another confrontation. He sauntered over to the bars and smirked. He had expected to see her curled into a ball, but instead she was standing up, her eyes meeting his. He was carrying a blanket, which he tossed onto the chair.

"Sleep well?" he asked coolly.

"Didn't try." she replied.

"Cold?"

She was noticeably cold; her skin was covered in goosebumps.

"No"

"You sure? You look cold." he said, eyes wandering to her chest. She had no bra on and the cold was showing in ways she hadn't thought of.

"I'm sure."

"Do you want this blanket?" he asked, thrusting it forward.

"No." her fierce gaze had not left his.

"Go on take it."

"I don't fucking want it, just leave me alone." she screamed, losing her cool.

"Oh, swearing now are we? I don't remember teaching you that." he said smugly.

"There are lots of things you didn't teach me." she said pushing his buttons. His eyes darkened with anger. She felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Oh, but there are many more things I can teach you." he said darkly. He approached her cell again and opened the door. She made no effort to stop him, instead saving her energy for the fight.

"No mouth now eh love? Keeping the comments to yourself? Wise, wise." he paced the small area.

"So we need to make some decisions, like how to explain your odd behavior. What do you suggest?" he made a sudden movement to watch her flinch in fear, but she made no movements. Her eyes bore into him, and she said nothing.

"No ideas, ok. We are going to say you were Imperiused by that Malfoy. Saw you and just had to have you. Took you to his house and hid you away, made you file for divorce." he smiled sweetly and extended his hand to her. "Ready love?" She shrunk away from him in horror.

"I wont." is all she said.

"Oh but you will." he said inching closer to her.

"No, I won't." she said again with just as much confidence as last time. She wouldn't make Draco out to be the evil one. She just would not. Period.

"Where did you get the idea you had a choice?" he asked her before punching her in the nose. Blood spurted out, covering Steven and the floor with tiny drops of blood. It was broken for sure. She made sure not to cry out. She covered her nose with her hand to try and stop the blood. She was unsuccessful and blood poured onto the cement floor.

"Ready now?" he asked sweeter than ever.

"No" she managed through her hands. He pushed her head into the cement wall and she heard a thump. A blinding pain in her skull made her slump to the floor. She was conscious, but lightheaded and her vision blurred as she looked back up to his eyes. With some effort she stood back up and looked him in the eye.

"I SAID NO!" she screamed. "I WON'T DO IT!" the last words were blurred by another blinding slap.

'YOU WILL DO AS I SAY. I AM YOUR HUSBAND, YOU SWORE TO LOVE, HONOR AND OBEY ME. YOU WILL FORGET ABOUT EVER GETTING OUT OF HERE. THERE WILL BE NO DIVORCE." his eyes were full of rage.

"No, I am not living like this anymore. You can do as you like, I am getting out of this marriage one way or another." she said folding her arms again.

"YOU THINK SO HUH?" he strutted forward and ripped her shirt off exposing her breasts. She tried to cover up but he grabbed her arms away. His mouth found its way to them, kissing and sucking on them hard and rough.

"Bet you missed that didn't you?" he asked smugly. She felt as if she could vomit right there.

"To tell you the truth, no. I had better." she immediately regretted those words. His fist connected with her stomach and she felt one of her ribs break. She grunted, and wanted to scream out, but for Draco's sake she did not. She doubled over and tried to catch her breath, it was difficult, but she managed. She stood back up, more determined than ever. If only she could get his wand. But before she could figure out how, he was ripping off her boxers and underwear. She panicked. He had done this before, and she had just laid there and let him. But now, things were different. She would fight, she would not let him do this to her.

"NO" she screamed as he pushed her down onto the floor. "GET OFF ME"

He paid no attention to her, she heard him unbuckle his pants and pull them off. Her heart was racing.

"YOU ARE MY WIFE, THIS IS MY RIGHT!" he screamed. And then without notice he tried to push her head down on his flaccid member. She jerked her head up, resisting his heavy hand. He pushed hard and her body gave in to the pressure. Her head landed in his lap, but she kept her mouth tightly shut. He attempted to pry her mouth open but it didn't work either. Repeated slaps and punches to the back did no good either. Her lips were tightly clamped together. Frustrated he threw her on her back, the cold concrete scraped her bare skin. She felt tiny pebbles embed themselves in the fresh cuts. It stung, but she didn't let on. She had more important matters on her mind, like pushing Steven off of her. Try as she might he was just too heavy. Her broken rib gave a sharp pain as his heavy body landed on them. He forced her legs apart and held down her arms. She spat in his face. And to her surprise he smirked. He pushed up into her with force. She wanted to yelp in pain, scream out for help, she kept quiet. He thrust himself in and out of her with such force she was sure he had ripped some part of her. She felt blood running down her thighs. He continued with great momentum, scraping her back even more with every movement. Her mind shut down and she left her body behind. She thought of Draco, his eyes, his lips, his comforting arms.

'I love him' she thought to herself, and that kept her going. 'I love him' she repeated over and over in her mind. Just then Steven came, and momentarily let his wand fall to the floor.


	15. Rescue and Healing

Disclaimer; I own nothing.

A/N Hi all, here is your update. I am sorry to say that there are only two chapters left after this one so I had better get to work on writing my new stories ;) Happy reading and don't forget to review.

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Rescue and Healing

Harry and Draco had been riding through the night sky for almost an hour. Draco's mind was racing with thoughts of what could have happened to her. Or for that matter what was happening to her. What if they got there and it was the wrong house? Did Pansy have a secret keeper? No, if she did his owl couldn't have found her. Suddenly his raven feathered owl started a slow and steady decent.

'Thank Merlin' he thought, he was chilled to the bone, and soaked too from the misty clouds they flew through. The vast countryside appeared before them as they headed towards a tiny village in the near distance. All he could think about was finding her, and cursing her soon to be ex into oblivion. He leaned into his broom, more determined to get to her before anything happened.

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Steven's attention had lapsed for just a brief moment, and Hermione took full advantage. He had let his wand fall to the floor as he came, using all of his strength on her. Her eyes saw it fall as if in slow motion. She knew that is was now or never. She took a deep breath, and reached her hand out to scoot the wand with her fingers. She felt it under her hand, she had a hold of it, and he still hadn't noticed. He was trying to catch his breath; his head was buried in her long hair.

"Oh Hermione, I missed you so much. No one can compare to you." he breathed in her ear. She had a firm grip on it now. With as much force as she could spare she pushed him off of her with every last ounce of strength she had. He fell backwards into the bars, he reached for his wand. His stunned face fell when he realized it was not in his hand, or anywhere to be seen. He looked up at Hermione, who was now pulling on her shorts and what was left of her top. He heard her mutter something and point the wand at her stomach. She was holding his wand firmly in her right hand and she turned it towards him. She smiled.

"Now Hermione, let's not do anything foolish love." he said in his old charming voice. She laughed at him, lying naked on the floor. His own wand was pointed directly at his throat. He swallowed heavily and looked back into her fierce brown eyes. He had never seen her look so determined, so cold.

"Foolish?" she asked in a high pitched girly voice that did not belong to her. "I don't intend to do _anything_ foolish." she started moving towards the door, and he stood up to follow.

"Take one more step Steven, and you will know the meaning of the word foolish." she said with such determination it sent chills up his spine, but he continued to advance on her. She walked backwards out the cell door and closed it behind her. She waved his wand and locked the door. He stood at the door reaching through the bars to her.

"Hermione, come on. You know I love you. I don't mean to do the things I do to you. It's out of love, out of the respect I want to gain from you. I just want us to have the perfect marriage." his voice cracked with the fake tears he put forth.

"The perfect marriage?" she asked. "You think beating me up constitutes the perfect marriage? You think degrading me, pushing me, RAPING ME, makes me respect you? DO YOU THINK KILLING OUR BABY MADE ME LOVE YOU?" she screamed. She was losing control; tears were streaming down her bruised face.

"YOU KILLED OUR BABY!" he screamed back. "YOU DIDN'T WANT IT ANYWAY, IF YOU HAD JUST PRETENDED TO BE HAPPY NONE OF THAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED!"

He had hit a nerve now. She took a deep breath and decided to let out all of her emotions that maybe the only way she could heal.

"I didn't want the baby because I was afraid you would do the same thing to him or her as you do to me. I didn't want to bring a baby into this world with you as a father. I couldn't even stand you touching me anymore. Every day I felt less and less like myself. I was a prisoner, secluded from my family and friends. I hated you, but more I hated myself. I never thought I would allow myself to be treated like that, but no more. I am done. We are getting a divorce. I hope they throw you in Azkaban and toss out the key." she said shaking.

"Hermione, please. Let's give it one more go. I love you! I can change! Come back!"

She turned on her heels and faced him again, her ribs and stomach were aching, her face was on fire and her thighs were covered in blood. So much anger and hate built up inside of her. All the years of abuse and degradation had taken its toll. She felt the monster of hate and rage rumbling inside her chest roaring to get out.

"At first when I saw you in that muggle club hitting on every available woman I was hurt. But I soon realized that I am in love with someone else. And if he is still out there somewhere I am going to find him. He is more of a man than you will ever be. Hopefully someone comes here and finds you, oh wait, the house is unplottable. I guess you will rot here." she smirked.

"Who? That Malfoy? No one will ever have you Hermione. I will find you." his dark eyes flickered in the dim light.

She felt strange; the monster of hate had erupted. She pointed the wand at him and started;

"Cru…" but then her true voice interrupted. She would be no better than him.

She looked down and saw the pool of blood at her feet. She felt very dizzy.

"Goodbye Steven." and she started up the steps. But before she got to the top, she passed out.

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Harry and Draco landed in the yard of a small white house in the middle of nowhere. The owl was pecking at the window furiously. And when no one answered, he pecked the letter off of his leg and left it on the porch before looking at Draco expecting a treat. Draco tossed him one and he flew off. Harry and Draco looked into the windows and could see no one in the dark rooms.

"Alohamora" Harry whispered and the white oak door creaked open.

"Do you think this is it?" Harry asked him.

"I don't know, but we will find out." he said entering first. He lit his wand and looked around. There on the mantle were pictures of Pansy and her family waving happily from the frames.

"This is her house." he whispered. "Where should we start?"

"Upstairs" Harry said. And they walked over to the staircase. They crept up quietly so as not to alert anyone of their presence. The hallway was deserted, as were all the bedrooms and the bathroom. They walked back downstairs and into the living room, nothing. The kitchen and the bath were empty as well.

"Only the basement left, I guess he keeps to what he knows." Harry said. They walked through the kitchen to the cellar door. It was partially open. There, on the top step, bloodied and broken was Hermione. Draco bent down to check her pulse.

"She's still alive." he said through tears. He picked up her limp body and lifted it onto the kitchen table. Draco cradled her head in his arms and wept over her. Harry ventured into the basement.

"Oho" he yelled, Draco momentarily let Hermione lie on the table and he ran down the cellar steps. They both found themselves staring at Steven Shanly, sleeping on the floor of an 8 by 8 cell. Both Harry and Draco looked at the odd sight and wondered how it had come to be. Harry looked at Draco and laughed at the sight of such a tall powerful man, huddled in a small ball in the corner.

"I am going upstairs to owl the other Aurors, so they can escort him to Azkaban. I will keep watch over Hermione, you keep an eye on him in case he wakes up." he ran up the stairs leaving Draco looking at Steven. Draco pointed his wand at him and shot a blue jet which hit him in the rear. Steven jolted awake looking around at his unfamiliar surroundings. Draco threw a smirk in his direction. Steven stood up and looked over at the blonde who had previously punched him on their last encounter.

"Let me out of here." he said firmly, trying to be intimidating.

"Oh I will. Just as soon as the other Aurors arrive to take you Azkaban." he sat in the chair that Steven had conjured just hours ago. He crossed his arms across his chest casually twirling his wand in his hand.

"She is my wife. My property." he said seething.

Draco contemplated his words for a moment, trying to think of the best way to respond. He wanted to tell this coward, this murderer, this thing who dare call himself a man that he had been treating his wife to something she had not experienced in their so called marriage.

"She will be your wife, your property no more." his smirk returned to his lips. Steven's face was red and his veins bulging.

"You will never have her Malfoy, she loves me deep down. I have her heart and her soul. I have broken her spirit and saw the beautiful obedient angel that stepped forth out of that broken body. You are merely her 'knight in shining armor' she looks at you adoringly for saving her, but she will come back to me. She cannot live without me, she needs instruction and punishments." his voice was low, and sounded unsure.

"Oh, but Steven if you only knew. She does not need you. She does not need any man. I consider myself lucky to call her a friend. I merely showed her that life is more than following instructions; I showed her that she can dance, dress up, have fun, and have passion in her life, all without you. I showed her that she is smart, funny, beautiful, sexy and she deserves better than a coward who can only hit women." he kept twirling his wand, looking directly into Steven's dark eyes.

"I LOVE HER." Steven screamed.

"SO DO I" Draco yelled back, realizing what he had just said, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs slowly. 'Damn, Potter just heard me say I love her.' but when he turned around, he was face to face with Hermione. She was looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"I thought you were dead." she whispered her hands touching his face. He wrapped his arms around her small frame. She winced because of her broken ribs. Draco looked at her, anger brewing again.

"I was so worried about you. When I woke up, you were gone." tears ran from his stormy eyes.

"I love you Draco." she brushed her lips against his.

"I love you too." he returned smiling from ear to ear.

Steven looked on at them; more rage was building inside him than he had ever felt. She was right in front of him, confessing her love for another man. She looked so happy, so different. Like when they first met. Hermione turned her gaze to meet Stevens. She smiled a wicked smile and then ran her hands through Draco's white blonde hair.

"Did he hurt you?" Draco asked, his eyes turning a molten steel color, the color of rage.

She nodded.

"It doesn't matter love, I can heal. He is going to be put away, and everything he did was physical. You would have been proud. I never shed a tear. I stood up to him, I thought you were dead." she broke off tears falling freely. He looked at her, she was a mess.

"Do you want me to heal you?" he asked.

"No, not until the Aurors get here I want proof so he goes away for a long time." Draco sat down on the chair and pulled her on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sat there showering him with little kisses while they waited for Harry to return. Draco looked into her big brown eyes. He brushed her lips his own, licking her upper lip. Nothing would make him happier than to make love to her right there in front of him. Show him how she could become alive with passion when she was with him. His mouth turned into a smile as he thought of her screaming out his name. She noticed his smile. He was so beautiful when he smiled.

"You should do that more often." she said.

"What?"

"Smile." she replied

"If you only knew what I was smiling at." he whispered in her ear. She turned red, but smiled back thinking of the same thing.

Inside the cell, Steven felt like vomiting over this display. She was flaunting it. She had committed adultery, and she would get away with it. He should have killed her in the cell, and then killed himself. That way they could be together in the after-life. It was a romantic idea, but too late. His fate was now sealed in Azkaban.

They heard Harry upstairs talking to some Aurors, and they knew that the time had come to turn Steven over. Even thought the Dementors had abandoned Azkaban long ago, it was still a place that was feared amongst wizards and witches everywhere. A steady line of Aurors came down the stairs, wands all at the ready. They surrounded the cell and one of them opened the door. And like the coward he was he begged for them to spare him. His tears and pleading fell on deaf ears. One large wizard bound him with invisible ropes. Another one gagged him. His eyes pleaded silently with Hermione as he was drug past her and Draco. She gave him a satisfied smile. Harry nodded at the both of them before following the others up the stairs. Draco scooped up Hermione and carried her up. Harry had told them to apparate to the ministry at once. Draco assisted Hermione to apparate she was too weak to do it on her own. She felt a strange sensation something like being pushed through a tube. Moments later they were in the ministry lobby. Just ahead of them they saw Steven being pushed down the hallway towards the Auror headquarters. She looked over at the man she once loved, loved enough to marry and put up with all of his abuse for these last years. A tear fell silently down her cheek. It was finally over for her marriage. Harry told her that her divorce would be granted in the morning, and she would be free. Draco took her towards the ministry nurse so that she could be healed before he took her back to the manor.

The nurse was looking her over mended her ribs and nose first. She had a large lump on the back of her head from the concrete wall. The nurse waved her wand and it was mended as well. She felt the scrapes on her back healing too. She felt whole again, except for the large amount of blood between her legs. Her shorts were covering most of it; Draco just thought it was from her nose. She had not told him about the rape yet. Luckily she had preformed a contraceptive spell shortly after. She did not want to bear that bloodline.

"Draco, can you leave us alone for just a moment?" she asked sweetly so she could talk to the nurse on her own.

"Sure." he said letting go of her hand but not before kissing is softly. He left the room and shut the door behind him.

"Everything alright dear?" the nurse asked as she fumbled with some dressings.

"No, I didn't want to say anything in front of him, but something else happened to me tonight." she felt very ashamed at what had happened.

"What dear?"

"My husband, that they took away to Azkaban tonight, well before I could get away he raped me." she started sobbing into the nurse's shoulder. The nurse patted her back soothingly.

"Do you need a contraceptive spell?" she asked.

"No, after I grabbed his wand I preformed one. I always used to do one after…" she broke off again. "I think he ripped something down there." she motioned towards her shorts.

"I see." the nurse said. "Well here is a robe. Strip down and I will take a look in a minute. Are you planning to tell the Auror's about this? After all it is a crime." Hermione thought about it for a minute.

"Yes, I think so, but I need to tell my escort out there first. Can you send him in?" The nurse nodded and opened the door motioning for Draco to come in.

"Everything okay?" he asked worried.

"No, I need to tell you something. I don't want to relive the whole day, but something happened right before I was able to escape. I need to tell you and Harry." she looked down at the floor. This was going to be harder than she thought.

"What did he do?" he asked eyes narrowed.

"He…he…he ripped off my clothes, and…raped me!" she hid her face in her hands. The look of horror and rage on Draco's face was indescribable. His pale skin flushed red, and his fist balled up in anger.

'I had him alone in a cell.' he thought. 'I could have killed that cowardly scum. Why didn't I?' Hermione looked to him for some comfort, but rage had taken over. He stood up and paced the room, thoughts of murder and torture raging through his head. Tears were rolling down her cheeks; the look on Draco's face was reminiscent of Steven's when she had done something wrong. She looked at his normally beautiful face, now clouded with anger. And she was scared.

"Are you hurt?" he finally whispered. She nodded.

"The nurse is going to look me over in a minute. I just wanted you to know. Can you tell Harry for me? I don't think I can bear it." she started crying again.

"I will tell him." Draco said, rubbing her hand with his. He stood up to leave and find Harry.

"Draco?"

"Yes."

"Are you mad at me?" she barely got the words out. He looked at her lying on the examining table. She had mistaken his anger with that bastard with anger towards her for what had happened.

"Oh Hermione." he said falling to his knees at her bedside. "None of this is your fault. Why would I be mad at you?"

"You just seemed mad a moment ago." she sobbed. "I didn't know if I should tell you."

"I am mad. I am mad that I wasn't there to protect you, that I couldn't stop him from taking you. I am mad that he violated you without your permission. I am mad that he hurt you. I am mad at lots of things, but never at you." he held her trembling hand in his. He had tears in his gorgeous stormy eyes. She continued to cry, griping his hand tightly.

"I didn't cry, the whole time. I was strong wasn't I?" she said in between sobs. He nodded at her trying not to think of her enduring what she did, and keeping her hurt inside. Just then the nurse came back in.

"Ready?" she asked Hermione. She nodded.

"Tell Harry for me then?" she asked.

"I am going right now. I love you." he said. Those words sounded weird coming from him. He had never told another living soul that he loved them. He had practically shouted it back in Pansy's house. That had shocked him. He walked down the dark hallway towards Harry's office where they were keeping Steven. The door swung open and he saw Steven seated in front of Harry's desk. They had removed the gag charm and were interrogating him about Pansy's whereabouts. They didn't know if she helped him willingly or he had Imperiused her or something worse. He was outright refusing to cooperate. Harry looked up and saw Draco coming in the door.

"Oi Draco, how is she?" Harry asked.

"I need to talk to you, in private." he said motioning towards a brooding Steven. Harry called one of the other Aurors to keep an eye on Steven.

"What's up?" Harry asked as they walked.


	16. Filing charges

Disclaimer; I own nothing!

A/N Hi all. Sorry for the slow update. I have the flu and have been sleeping for the past few days. It never fails. Every December I get sick. Go figure. I hope you like this chapter, I am trying to write other stories as fast as I can but being sick doesnt help. I wrote a chapter the other night after taking some medicine and when I read it the next day it didnt make any sense. LOL! Anyway happy reading and don't forget to review.

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Filing Charges

"Just left Hermione mate. She's not doing that good." Draco said as they walked.

"Couldn't our nurse heal her?" he asked.

"Yeah, but something more happened, something she just told me."

"Well what?" Harry said, getting impatient. He wanted as much stuff as possible to nail this asshole.

"He raped her tonight, right before we got there." he said looking downwards, not wanting to see the look of rage and hate reflected in Harry's eyes. He looked up quickly and saw it. That monster of hate he felt earlier.

"He what?" Harry asked already knowing the answer.

"I think you heard me the first time." he replied not wanting to repeat himself.

"I am going to fucking kill him." Harry said pulling his wand out of his robe and walking towards his office.

"Wait Potter." Draco said, trying to catch up to him.

"You know he deserves it," Harry said trying to rationalize his impending actions.

"I know it, but she wants him to go to trial. She wants everyone to know what he did. We need to respect that." Was this really him? The voice of reason? Harry looked at Draco and sighed.

"You are right." he said, "Is she okay?"

Draco shrugged.

"The nurse is looking her over now; she might have some internal damage. But I think she will be fine."

"So, not to be too nosey, but what is going on between you and her? I mean I know what I saw the other day, but what was that. A one nighter?"

"No"

"Then what?"

"I love her." Draco said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Harry was taken aback by this.

"You love her? For real?" he asked astonished. Draco simply nodded his head. Was he really having this conversation with Harry Potter?

"Wow." was all Harry could manage.

"I am going to get back to her; she just wanted to make sure that you added those charges onto what you already have. Oh, one more thing, can you add murder on as well?"

Harry looked at him astonished at what he had just said.

"Murder? Of who?"

"He killed their baby by pushing her down the stairs two years ago. That's why she told you she had a bad day when you dropped by. She was reliving it." he knew Hermione had entrusted him with that info, but he felt as if Harry needed to know in order to prepare a case against him.

Harry looked mortified at this new information. A look washed over his face that was a combination of hate and the feeling of wanting to vomit.

"Thanks." he said before walking back into his office to discuss this new information with his superiors and co-workers. Draco headed back to the nurse's where Hermione was waiting.

He knocked softly and Hermione told him to come in. she was dressed, which was a good thing.

"Everything ok?" he asked calmly.

"All healed." she replied as she hopped off of the table.

"You ready to go?" he asked. She nodded and they left the room together.

"Where are we going?" she asked as they approached the floo fireplace.

"Back to my place, if that's okay with you. Harry wants you to wait before returning home."

"Oh, alright." she said happily. She did not want to be alone tonight. Draco grabbed some floo powder and threw it into the fire turning the flames emerald green.

"Malfoy Manor, my room" he said before leading her into the flames that whisked them back to his house.

They stepped into the darkened room, which had been straightened and put right by Dribby in their absence. Hermione looked around and sighed. She thought she would never see this room again, never see him again. She was sure she would be dead once Steven got his hands on her. But she was stronger then she thought, and she owed that to Draco.

"Hungry?" he asked.

"Starved." she replied. He called out for Dribby and ordered some food before returning to her. She was looking through her clothes trying to find some clean ones.

"I am going to take a bath if that's okay." she said quietly.

"All yours." he said motioning towards the large bath. She smiled at him before entering the bathroom.

She turned on the faucet and poured some bubble bath into the running water. She stripped off the clothes she was wearing and tossed them into the garbage can. If she had her wand she would have set them afire. She didn't want anything to remind her of her ordeal. She knew she would never return to the house she shared with Steven. If she got it in the divorce she would sell it. Soon the tub was full and she was lowering her tired body into the hot water. The muscles in her body loosened and she relaxed soon enough. Her mind went through the last 18 hours. She had been through so many emotions, and Draco told her he loved her. And she loved him. It was such a deep emotion that she had not felt in many, many years. She was not sure if she had ever really loved Steven, but she was sure of her love for Draco. It was undeniable. She closed her eyes and relaxed into the bubbles. Half an hour later she was awakened by a knock at the door.

"Yes." she called.

"Hermione, dinner is ready." he said poking his head in the door.

"Ok. You can come in if you want." she said softly. He walked in and sat on the side of the tub. The lights in the bathroom were softly flickering candles. The flames danced on his face as he took off his shoes and sock and put his feet into the tub.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Ok I guess." she said before she dunked her head under the water, wetting her hair. Draco looked at her. She was so beautiful.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he said motioning towards the tub.

"Not at all." she said, washing her arms. He undressed slowly and her eyes swallowed his body whole. He lowered himself into the tub and sat next to her. He couldn't resist leaning in and brushing her lips with his.

"Here, let me help you." he said grabbing the sponge and the lavender soap and sitting behind her. Her long hair cascaded down her back. He pushed it aside and washed her back slowly, being careful not to he too rough on the red marks that had just been healed hours ago. He kissed those red marks softly, feeling her pain, trying not to think of what she had endured. He reached over and grabbed the shampoo. After pouring some in his hand he lathered up her curls and she rinsed her own hair. She turned around to face him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Did you really mean it?" she asked. "What you said in Pansy's basement, did you mean that?" she was so insecure.

"That I love you? Hermione, I don't think I have felt this way about anyone ever. I have never said those words to anyone else." tears formed in his eyes again. Too many emotions that he was not used to. "You pushed your way into my stubborn heart, and I love you, more than you can imagine."

She was crying again as well, but tears of joy. She had not felt worthy of anyone's love in a very long time. Steven had told her so many times that no one else would want her. Her hair was too curly, she didn't have a nice enough body or a pretty enough face. He had wore her down until she thought so little of herself she had given up on life. And now, this man who she had hated most of her childhood, and who she thought hated her as well was sitting her next to her naked body telling her he loved her and only her. Her stomach felt as if it were filled with fluttering butterflies. He was washing her chest, which was heaving from her sobbing.

"Don't cry love." he said in a soothing voice. "There is nothing to be sad about now."

"I'm not sad." she said in between cries. "I have never been happier." He pulled her body against his, letting her press up against his bare chest. Her tiny body felt like a perfect fit to him, like no one else ever had. She lay her head down on his chest and listened to his rapid heart beat. His arms were safely wrapped around her. She breathed a sigh of relief.

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Back at the ministry they were preparing to take Steven to Azkaban. He had been ungagged for quite some time to allow him to speak and answer questions, but so far he had said nothing. There were no less than 14 Aurors in the room when it happened. Out of the corner of his mouth Steven whispered;

"Accio wand." and a wand flew out of one of the Auror's back pocket and into Steven's hands which were bound in front of him, before any of them knew it he was severing the invisible ropes with;

"Diffendo" he jumped up out of the chair and grabbed the nearest Auror, pointing the wand at her throat.

"If anyone comes any closer I will kill this woman." he shouted. Everyone stood back and looked at him; his eyes were full of rage. He slowly backed his way out of the room and into the ministry hall.

"Don't let him get out of this building." someone screamed. Harry had just walked back into the room after getting the last of the charges signed by his supervisor. He was nearly knocked down by the others preparing to chase the escapee.

"What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Shanly just escaped." one said as they passed him. Harry dropped the papers and gave chase as well. They spread out in the halls in search of him and his hostage. Harry ran out into the deserted lobby.

"Make sure no one leaves by this floo, or by the visitor's entrance. I don't care if the Minister himself comes out here." Harry yelled to the security guard. He nodded and stood by the massive fireplace. Harry raced down the adjoining hallway, his heart racing. If Steven escaped he would never forgive himself. Especially after what Malfoy had told him he did to Hermione while he held her prisoner. He hated himself for leaving the room and leaving him ungagged. He hated himself for trusting anyone besides him to watch that he was securely in custody. He had made so many mistakes, and if he escaped, Hermione would have to go into hiding again. It would be his fault. He raced down the dark corridor looking around for Steven and his prisoner. He hoped the others were having better luck. All the exits were blocked, and you couldn't apparate out of the ministry, only in. they would find him. He was sure of that; it was just a matter of time. He just hoped that the Auror that he captured was unharmed. Suddenly he heard a commotion up ahead of him. He rounded the corner and ran into Steven, who was trying to get out one of the enchanted windows, not realizing that they were just there for decoration. The Auror was trying desperately to explain to him that the windows were not real, but in his panic to get out he was not listening. Harry almost had to suppress a chuckle at the scene. He casually pointed his wand at Steven, who had let go of his hostage, and said;

"Hem, hem.' Steven turned around, his eyes wide with rage and fear.

"Let's go Steven, don't make it harder on yourself. The other Aurors are on their way down then hall."

The witch he was holding had scooted away from him and ran down the hall desperately trying to find some help. Steven and Harry both had wands pointed at each other.

"I am leaving this place." Steven said madly. "I am going to get my wife, and we are going home."

"Clearly you are delusional." Harry said calmly. "Hermione is gone, moved on. The divorce will be final tomorrow. And you will be in Azkaban. If you are good you may be out in 10 to 15 years. Unless we can prove you murdered your own child, then maybe longer."

"You don't know anything Potter, Hermione will not divorce me." his wand hand was shaking madly. He looked like a lunatic.

Harry saw the other Aurors hurrying down the hall out of the corner of his eye. Steven must have sensed it too because his wand steadied and pointed it directly at Harry's chest. Before he knew it over a dozen hexes were flying at Steven. He collapsed onto the floor in a heap and the wand rolled away from his hand. Harry rushed over to his body and felt for a pulse. His head lowered.

"He's dead." Harry said quietly.


	17. A new life and love

Disclaimer; I own nothing!

A/N Well here it is kiddies, the last chapter of this story. Right now I don't have a sequel planned, but I may change my mind. I am concentrating on my other two stories. Reunion and one that does not have a title yet. I really like this story, I think it was my favorite one because it was so powerful and emotional. Well I am off to write some more stories. Happy reading and please, please. please review!

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A new life and love

"He's dead" Harry said quietly.

The other Aurors stood around his limp body, staring at it.

"Damn" Harry swore. "I wanted him to face trial." his head hung low.

"We thought he was about to kill you sir." one of the younger ones said.

"I don't blame any of you. I would have done the same in your situation, but…well let's get him out of here." Some of the others hoisted his body and carried it towards the nurse's wing. She would not be able to revive him of course, but they had no where else to stow a dead body at the moment.

"I guess I will have to inform Hermione. But I think she has been through enough today, I will owl her in the morning." he remarked as he sat back at his desk and laid his head on a stack of papers.

At the moment of Steven's death Hermione was snuggled on Draco's chest after a very nice meal. He was bare chested wearing only pajama pants, and she was wearing just her long nightgown, which was very comfortable. Her bare feet hung off the edge of the couch. She inhaled his clean fresh scent, and kissed his chest lightly. He sighed heavily at this. She felt so right in his arms. He had never experienced this feeling, this strange sensation in his stomach, in his heart. He had no idea where to go from here. This was all new territory to him. He had never uttered those words to anyone. 'I love you' Not even to get a girl into bed. Not ever. And now, this girl had crept into his soul and poked the words right out of him. He smiled. He could feel her hot breath and tiny kisses across his bare chest. A familiar stirring in his pajamas became all too evident to him. He did not want to ask her to do anything tonight. She had been violated and humiliated, and it just didn't seem like the right time for this. But she was steadily kissing his chest and stomach. What did it all mean?

"Hermione?" he asked nervously.

'Mmmm…" she said back between kisses.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked playfully.

"Kissing you." she replied.

"Are you sure that is what you want to be doing right now?"

"Yes…"

"Come here…" he said playfully.

She kissed her way up to his upper chest and then his collarbone and neck.

"Yes? What can I do for you?" she said teasingly.

"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to. You went through a lot tonight, if you just want to lay here and rest its okay."

She smiled at him.

"I know. I just felt like kissing your gorgeous chest, and your delicious neck, oh and your cute little belly button." she kissed her way down and pecked at his flat stomach and his naval.

"Oh and let's not forget this." she said as she reached her hand into his pajama bottoms. He inhaled sharply and felt himself harden immediately.

"Ohh… Hermione." he closed his eyes and relaxed into her gentle touch. Her lovely brown eyes looked into his as she felt her way around his body. She quickly tugged off his bottoms and left him lying on the couch, eyeing up his naked body. She smiled at him before kissing down from his naval. His hands were entangled in her long hair. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up to his face. She pulled her nightgown off over the top of her head and kneeled in between his legs in only her panties. She looked like a completely different person than she had when he first brought her to his house. She looked happy and alive, even after all she had been through that very night. She kissed him softly, before laying her head on the nape of his neck. He kissed the top of her head and ran his hands down her smooth pale back. She erupted in goosebumps which amused him.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked suspiciously.

"You." he said "I just love the way you love to be touched." he mused.

"I love the way you touch me." she replied, kissing his neck again.

He continued to touch and love her the rest of the night, falling asleep in each other's arms, not knowing what to expect the next day.

Morning came way too soon again for them. She was comfortably wrapped in his arms, and listening to his deep and steady breathing. He opened his cloudy eyes and looked into hers.  
"Morning." he said sleepily.

"Morning to you too." she smiled.

She looked out of the open window and grinned. The sky was a clear blue, not a cloud to be seen. A fresh breeze blew through into the room and across the satin sheets. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. A fresh morning and a fresh start for her. Just when she had closed her eyes again and snuggled back into his waiting arms an owl swooped into the room. It sat looking at them, blinking its eyes. Draco leaned over to reach the letter that was clutched to its leg. He looked it over, and set it next to the bed.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

"The letter?"

"Oh, well let's just wait to discuss that until after breakfast." he said kissing her forehead.

"How about now?" she said raising her eyebrow.

"I don't want to ruin our day, it's not good news." he said dryly. He didn't know how to fell about the letter.

"Give it to me." she replied, and with hesitation he handed the letter over to her. Her eyes scanned the words before the letter fell from her hand. She had a blank look on her face like she didn't know what to feel either.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I don't know how to tell you this, but last night Steven escaped from the Auror office. He took a hostage and tried to leave the ministry. We caught up to him and he said he was coming after you. The other Aurors caught up to him and stunned him, or they thought they did. Too many hexes. He died a short time later. I'm sorry. As he was still your husband at the time of death his business and home are left to you. Also, Pansy turned herself in soon after Steven's death. She claimed to be under his control. We have yet to verify this. Talk to you soon._

_Love, _

_Harry_

"I'm sorry." was all Draco could mutter. He wasn't sorry that Steven was dead, but he knew that she would probably feel bad, or sorry, or responsible.

"It's fine." she said. She felt empty, dry of any more tears. She had loved him for years, deep down. But that love had long since gone. But still he was her husband. Shouldn't she feel something? She stood up and walked to the bathroom. She felt like she would be sick, and when she got there, she was sure of it. She pulled back her hair as she threw up into the toilet.

"Oh gods…" she muttered.

He walked into the bathroom at just the wrong time. She held her head up looked at him and vomited again.

"Wasn't expecting that." he said, walking over to her and holding back her hair for her as she threw up yet again. "I think you got sick from that cold cellar. I should call my mum's healer."

"No, I'm fine. I think it was just the shock of the news, I feel much better. What's for breakfast?"

"I'll go see." he said walking out of the bathroom with an odd look on his face. Was she really this upset by the news? He supposed he would be upset too if someone who had beaten him for years died. NOT. He hadn't shed a tear for his 'father' and he used that term loosely. But maybe women were different. His mum had cried for weeks he remembered. Ok, everything was perfectly normal. Dribby came up with their breakfast. Lots of fresh fruit, oatmeal, scones, tea coffee and juice. She came out of the bathroom smiling weakly.

"Everything looks great. I am starved." she said sitting in front of the coffee table and helping herself. She ate as much as she could before lying back on the sofa, her head in his lap. He stroked her hair with his hand.

"So I guess some decisions should be made." she said softly.

"Yeah, I guess." he replied. He had dreaded this conversation, the one where she would now tell him she was leaving, and she had fun, but she needed to move on…blah, blah, blah. Crap.

"I don't know what to do." she said, "I don't want the house or the business. I can't go back there. What should I do?"

He breathed a sigh, it was only about property. He smiled at his prior insecurity.

"So sell them." he told her.

"I do want to get my things from my house though. Maybe I can have someone else run the apothecary. That way I have an income while I go to school to become a healer."

He nodded,

"Good idea."

"Do you want to go to my house with me? Oh, wait. Where am I going to live? Maybe I should stay there for now." There it was, she was leaving, and he couldn't do anything about it. Or could he?

"Live here." he said just as if it were normal conversation. She picked her head up off of his lap and looked at his grey eyes.

"Here?"

"Yes, here."

"But, what does that mean? Here as in the manor? Or here as in your room?" she was nervous about his response.

"Here as in here." he said, not wanting to cross that bridge just yet. But wait, he had always put off any kind of commitment, he had postponed his wedding so often that his mum stopped planning it.

"No, I mean here as in my room, with me. Stay here Hermione. I can't have you leave me again." he was holding her trembling hand.

"I don't know what to say." she said. She wanted to stay so badly. But was she jumping into something too soon? She loved him, and he loved her. But living here? Why was everything so hard for her?

"Say yes." he said quietly looking deep into her eyes. "You are a part of my life now. I can't bear to have you move away and only see you once and a while. Please. Don't make me beg." he shot her one of his million galleon smiles. Her heart melted. She would choose that over her head today.

"Alright. You wore me down." she smiled back. "But there is some things I need to do today. I need to pick up what's left of my things, look in on the store and buy a new wand. Will you come with me?" she asked, batting her eyelashes mockingly. He smirked in her direction. Same old Granger.

"Ok, let me get dressed and we will go." he stood up and threw on some clothes. She did as well.

"Shall we drive or apparate?" he asked.

"Let's apparate, I am sick of not being a part the magical world"

With a pop, they both disappeared and landed directly in front of the Leaky Cauldron.

They entered the dingy, dimly lit pub. It was empty since it was still early in the morning. They proceeded to the back alley and went through the newly formed entry way after tapping the bricks. It had been so long since she had been there. Over a year. She had stopped in to visit Steven after the car had broken down. She had longed to return, but it was not in her agenda. The familiar sights and smells overcame her. She looked around in near wonder, at all of the changes. She saw that 'Weasley's wizard wheezes' had expanded. Maybe after she got her wand she could pop in and say hi. They made their way down the crowded streets towards her late husband's store. News of his death had still not been released, and it was business as usual at the apothecary. She entered the store with her head held high. Several customers who thought Steven was just the nicest young man stopped their shopping and stared at her. She walked right up to the counter to the young man who was tending it. He was still at Hogwarts, only about 16 years old.

"Mrs. Shanly…what are you doing here? Where is Mr. Shanly?"

She stared at him. Had news of his arrest not been released either?

"Mr. Shanly is dead. He was killed during his arrest. I now own this store."

Draco stared at her, he had not seen her this confident since her school days.

"And by the way, my last name is Granger. Miss Hermione Granger." she said coolly as she walked around the counter. The young man looked shocked and said;

"Ok Miss Granger." before continuing to help customers.

Hermione smiled and they left the store. She would sort out business matters later. For now everyone knew that was her store. Hers. They continued up the street towards Olivander's wands. He had long since hidden and /or snapped her wand, and she needed a new one before she started school. She would also have to practice her magic; she was so out of shape she wouldn't be surprised if she couldn't cast the simplest of charms. They walked in the door and a tiny bell tinkled above them. Mr. Ollivander hobbled out of the back.

"Ah, Miss Granger, with what do I owe the pleasure?" he rasped.

"I need a new wand. My old one…well it was destroyed." she admitted.

"I see." he said hastily. "Well let's get to it." he walked behind the counter and handed her several boxes. She tried them all one by one. None fit her.

"I need one that is good for healing. I am going back to school."

He brought down several more boxes before she thought she had the one meant for her. A light shone above her head and when she flicked it, it responded immediately.

"Ah, 8 inches, unicorn hair from a particularly feisty male unicorn. Rosewood, nice and flexible. Shall I wrap it up?" she nodded excitedly.

She had her wand. She checked on the store.

"Do you mind if we stop in on the Weasley twin's store?" she asked. "I haven't seen them in ages." he shook his head letting her know he didn't mind. He was nervous about the Weasley's treatment of him however. He had not been kind to any of them in school. They walked back towards the shop and went inside.

"Fred, George?" she yelled when she walked in. Two tall redheaded young men came strolling out of the back room along with one very pregnant blonde, who Fred…well at least she thought it was Fred, was helping her out by holding her hand.

"Fred, you spoil me." the girl said.

"Hermione? Is that you?" Fred said as he ran over and hugged her. "Malfoy? What do you want?" he said eyeing him up.

"He's with me Fred, I'll explain later." she smiled.

"I haven't seen you in ages." George said. "I read all about what happened in the paper. I hope they throw the book at that bastard." he swore angrily.

"He's dead, they killed him in custody. Guess it's not in the Prophet yet." she told him.

"Oh, sorry." the twins said in unison.

"So, Fred, who's the girl?" she asked.

"My wife, and my new little girl." he said patting her belly. "This is Cynthia, Cynthia, this is Hermione Granger, we went to school with her. She was best friends with Harry and Ron." she smiled politely.

"Nice to meet you, but I think I need to go sit." and she wobbled out of the room.

"Ron will be so happy to see you. He has been keeping up with the papers. Oi, Ron come out here." George yelled. Draco grabbed a hold of Hermione's hand protectively. This surprised her, but she did not let go. A tall, gangly redhead came bounding out of the cellar storage.

"Hermione?" he shouted, "It that really you? Are you ok? What is going on? Harry told me a little, but I had no idea. Where have you been?" Hermione filled him in on some details, before he turned his attention to Malfoy.

"What is he doing here?" he motioned towards him.

"He is here with me. He saved my life; I have been hiding out at his place. And well…"

Draco interrupted.

"Well, we're in love." he grinned at Hermione who had planned to be a little more tactful about this with Ron. Ron looked back to Hermione who had blushed a deep red. Ron looked at her hand that was intertwined with Draco's. Little did Hermione know that Draco took deep satisfaction in this. The look on the weasels face was priceless. He looked back at her face.

"True Hermione?" she nodded.

"Oh, I thought, well never mind." he said as the tips of his ears went red. She smiled at him. True they had dated, but it was never meant to be.

"Well, we just popped in to say hi. I hope we can all get together soon; I would love to see your mum and dad. And I miss Ginny terribly. And it was nice to see you too Ron." she let go of Draco's hand and hugged him. Draco felt a twinge of jealousy, but kept it to himself. He would not be like Steven.

"They all have missed you too Hermione. Owl Harry to set it up okay? Don't be a stranger now." he smiled sadly as she walked out of the shop.

The only thing left to do was go pick up her belongings at her old house. She planned on listing it with a realtor as soon as possible. She didn't even want to go back there, but she had some photos of her, Ron and Harry from school that she had hidden in the attic, and her family photos. She had no clothes she wanted to keep, virtually nothing else that belonged to her.

They apperated there from Diagon Alley and before she knew it she was staring at her house, a new wave of nausea came over her as they got closer. She bent over and threw up on the lawn. Draco felt sick as well, and when they got to the door her hands were trembling. Draco magically unlocked the door and they stepped inside. The smell that had been bad days ago was now almost unbearable. Rotting food and garbage overwhelmed the tiny house. Hermione wrinkled her nose at it as she stepped into the living room and collected the few books she had kept. She hurriedly ran up the steps and came back down just as quickly with her arms full of photos and albums. She piled them by the door, next to where Draco was standing. He stood motionless, not wanting to wander. His visions of himself being sick in the kitchen after visiting that awful basement were fresh in his mind. She looked around at the house that was in a state of disarray and shook her head.

"You okay?" he asked her. She shrugged her shoulders in a non-committal way. She had lived there for three years. She came back here after her wedding, happy and looking forward to a long life with her new husband. Then the abuse started, and her happy life had fallen into a slow downward spiral. Tears came slowly as she looked around at her former life. Draco pulled her into a hug before pulling her out the door. They apperated back to the manor, and Hermione never looked back again.

**The End**


End file.
